Aaron Cohen

At the Academy, Cohen is working on the next three seasons of “Embrace Everything—The World of Gustav Mahler,” an audio docuseries exploring each of Mahler’s ten symphonies in depth. The series blends musical analysis with perspectives from philosophy, literature, religion, and history, alongside the voices of leading performers and conductors. The series’ first four seasons reached number one on Apple’s Music Podcast charts in over 25 countries, received more than twenty international awards over the past four years, and garnered support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The upcoming three seasons will cover Mahler’s Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh symphonies. These works—often considered Mahler’s “middle period”—confront themes of suffering and transcendence, catastrophe and resilience, and the search for human meaning. The Berlin Philharmonic has offered Cohen extended access to its musicians, who will serve as the principal orchestral voices in these new episodes. Interviews with German conductors and scholars will further deepen the project, situating Mahler’s symphonies within their intellectual and cultural context. Cohen’s work will culminate in an internationally accessible set of audio documentaries that place Berlin’s artistic and scholarly voices at the heart of Mahler’s enduring message.