S3 Episode 1: Alan Bern – Recorded December 20, 2025   Photo: Shendi Copitman

“So I got an accordion, I put it on my back, and I went to Europe ... “Do tune in to hear how Alan’s story intertwines music and speech with creativity, compassion, and being Jewish in today’s world. Listen in to hear how the “other” in Other Music Academy is not what you might think and how transcultural work is more about mycelium than bridges. 

Alan and I met in the courtyard of Etz Hayyim Synagogue and this episode was recorded in the city of Chania on the island of Crete. It is the first of this  3rd “season” with the tagline of “voices from afar (and not so far).”  

Give yourself a treat by checking out his work in Weimar and selected music, linked below.