Thursdays, October 7, 14, 21; Sunday, November 7, 2021 | 5pm
ADMISSION: $40 per individual session; $80 for all four sessions.
Hosted by Sylvie Simmons—writer of I’m Your Man, the acclaimed biography of Leonard Cohen—each of these live, online sessions shares an intimate, in-depth look at legendary songwriter and performer Leonard Cohen, presented by a friend and colleague who knew him well.
Join us Thursday evenings beginning October 7 for online Five Things I’ve Learned sessions with Sylvie Simmons, Perla Betalla, John Lissauer. Then, don’t miss a special session with the legendary Judy Collins on Sunday evening, November 7.
This program is presented in partnership with Extended Sessions.
Each virtual session is held on Zoom. Register for individual sessions for $40 each, or all four sessions for $80. Click below to purchase tickets.
Join author, journalist, biographer, and singer-songwriter Sylvie Simmons in this live 90-minute class and discover the five things she’s learned about Leonard Cohen – and all she still learns from him five years after he passed away.
Join singer-songwriter Perla Batalla in this live 90-minute class and discover the five things she’s learned about the essential role women played again and again in Leonard Cohen’s life and music.
Join acclaimed songwriter, producer, and arranger John Lissauer in this live 90-minute class and discover the five things he’s learned about the inspiration, writing, and recording of some of Leonard Cohen’s most unforgettable songs.
Join legendary singer-songwriter Judy Collins in this live 90-minute class and discover the five things she’s learned about Leonard Cohen – from her unique position at start of his music career to her current-day view of his enduring artistic legacy.
Through his poetry, novels, songs, and lyrics, Leonard Cohen expressed the complexities and desires of body and soul—a compelling metaphor for the twenty-first century Jewish experience. An observant Jew, Cohen also deeply explored Buddhism and various other worldviews. His commitment to questions of spirituality and existence shines through in songs such as “Suzanne,” “Bird on a Wire,” and “Hallelujah,” which masterfully combine mystery and universality with sacred and profane, and are now imprinted on our collective memory. Experience Cohen’s legacy like never before—through the eyes of contemporary artists George Fok, Judy Chicago, Candice Breitz, and Marshall Trammell.
Header image: Courtesy Old Ideas, LLC
Exhibition image: George Fok, Passing Through, 2017. Multi-channel video installation, black and white and color, sound, 56 min 15 s, looped, dimensions variable. Exhibition view of Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything presented at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 2017–2018. Courtesy the artist. Photo: George Fok
Lead Sponsorship of Experience Leonard Cohen is generously provided by Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) thanks Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt, The Bernard Osher Foundation, Suzanne and Elliott Felson, the Irving and Eleanor Jaffe Foundation, the John Pritzker Family Fund, Taube Philanthropies, Kendra and Tom Kasten, and Jessica Silverman for generously supporting the exhibition.
Media Sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Family Programs are made possible by major support from Bank of America. Additional support is provided by Blick Art Materials.