is co-founder and chairman of othermusic e.V. and creator and artistic director of Yiddish Summer Weimar and Winter Edition. He is a composer/arranger, pianist, accordionist, educator, cultural activist and philosopher. He is co-founder and director of Brave Old World, founder and director of The Other Europeans and Diaspora Redux, and he also performs with Bern, Brody & Rodach and with Guy Klucevsek. His education included classical piano with Paul Badura-Skoda and Leonard Shure, jazz with Karl Berger, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton and others, contemporary music with John Cage, Frederic Rzewski, Joel Hoffman and others, and philosophy and cognitive science with Dan Dennett. He received his master's degree in Philosophy and his doctorate degree in music composition. In 2009, he was given the Ruth Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as a musician and educator and achievement with Brave Old World.
>> www.alanbern.net
has been part of the Yiddish Summer Weimar management team since 2004, and part of the Winter Edition management team since 2008. She has been an associate for press and public relations in the Department of Planning and Communication at the Erfurt Technical University, and has studied journalism at the German Journalism School (Berlin) since 2007. Between 2004-2006 she was worked in the Kulturbüro LaRete (Ettersburg). She studied art history and sociology from 1996-2004 at the University of Jena and wrote her master's thesis on "Vogue 1950-70. The Staging of Femininity. A visual history of the development of fashion photography." She is responsible for public relations and project management.
is an art historian and arts administrator. Following her Master's degree in Art History, Psychology and History at the Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena, Germany in 2001, she began work as an arts administrator for Kulturbüro LaRete, Weimar, organizing European exhibitions (überMENSCHEN, EUROPA VIDEO ARTE, Coniugazioni) and festivals (Notti Italiane, Klezmer Wochen Weimar, Yiddish Summer Weimar).
She is also responsible for concept development, fundraising, public relations and management for several non-profit organizations (other music e.V., DIGIT Deutsch-Italienische Gesellschaft in Thüringen e.V., VDIG Vereinigung Deutsch-Italienischer Kultur-Gesellschaften e.V., VDKC Verband Deutscher Konzertchöre e. V., Kuratorium Schloss Ettersburg e.V.). From 2007 to 2010 she is the coordinator of the 90th anniversary of the Bauhaus (Bauhausjahr 2009) in the "ImPuls-Region Weimar - Jena - Erfurt".
Since 2002 she is connected with Yiddish Summer Weimar (at that time „Klezmer Wochen Weimar”) and is founding member of other music e.V. and since 2005 member of the board.
Johannes Paul Gräßer joined the other music e.V. team as an associate in December 2009. His musical focus has been klezmer and East European music since 1999. He is a member and initiator of several ensembles performing folk music, classical music and experimental music. In addition to various solo projects, he also plays violin with the Modern Klezmer Quartet and was a founding member of The Painted Bird. He is also the organizer and creator of cultural projects. The core value of his work is "to reflect on what is essential and fundamental with a basic honesty that allows the audience to find itself."
>> www.jpg-online.de
Starting in March 2011, I have been active in the framework of a “FSJ-Kultur”(a year-long volunteer social program in the cultural domain) for the Other Music Association, and will, in the coming six months, take part in the organization of Yiddish Summer Weimar 2011.
From the beginning, I identified with my work in the Association, through which I sought to express my openness, trust and love for the project. I am enthusiastic about the aim of Yiddish Summer and the events, guests, workshops and concerts that contribute to it.
As a native of Weimar and avid concertgoer, I have long been acquainted with the festival; in addition, I am an amateur musician (jazz guitar and piano), and share the deep interest in music that is so essential to this project.
This coming October, I intend to begin my musical studies; for this reason as well, working with the teachers and musicians at the Summer will be a great asset for me.
I will be happy to assist you, throughout the next six months, with any or questions or requests you may have concerning Yiddish Summer.
