Gary Snider / Cohen Affairs

Leonard Cohen died on November 7, 2016, and in 2026 Gary Snider honours him with the concert project Cohen Affairs - a personal interpretation of Cohen's songs.

Gary and Leonard share more than music. Both are Canadians, both grew up in Jewish families with musical mothers, and both lost their fathers as young boys. As young men they left Canada to seek artistic freedom abroad - Leonard settled in Greece and the USA, Gary found his in Denmark.

At the concert, Gary Snider interprets the songs and explains the background of the lyrics. He also recites excerpts, allowing the audience to listen more intently to the poetic and sometimes complex words. As Gary himself says: "I really feel that I can understand and identify with Leonard. There is so much in his life that I recognize. Now, after Leonard's death, it feels like an honourable task to share his life's work."