SF Leonard Cohen Festival: Song & Spirit

The San Francisco Leonard Cohen Festival continues on Saturday, November 7, with “The Song & Spirit of Leonard Cohen,” a live program presented by Conspiracy of Beards and featuring special guests Daniel Kahn and Jake Shulman-Ment. Doors open at 6:30 pm, with the show beginning at 7:30 pm. The event is for guests 21 and up.

At the center of the evening is Conspiracy of Beards’ new presentation exploring the music and spirit of Leonard Cohen. The San Francisco-based 30-member male choir has built a longstanding connection to Cohen’s work, creating choral arrangements that bring his songs into a communal performance setting. Their new show offers another opportunity to experience Cohen’s writing through layered voices while reflecting on the themes and ideas that have made his work so enduring.

Joining the choir are Detroit-born, Hamburg-based troubadour and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Kahn and New York master fiddler Jake Shulman-Ment. The two musicians have spent nearly two decades playing, traveling, and creating music together, developing a sound informed by a wide range of traditions. Their work draws on klezmer, folk, punk, and poetry, while remaining connected to musical forms that continue to evolve across generations and cultures.

Their appearance adds another dimension to an evening already rooted in Cohen’s distinctive blend of music and literature. Kahn and Shulman-Ment’s background in traditional and contemporary forms provides a broader musical context for a program centered on songwriting, storytelling, and interpretation. The combination of a large vocal ensemble with experienced instrumental performers creates room for both intimate expression and expansive arrangements.

For audiences familiar with Leonard Cohen, the performance offers a fresh setting in which to hear his songs reconsidered. Those discovering his work can expect an evening that places his music alongside artists whose own practice embraces poetry, folk traditions, and experimental influences.

Part of the annual San Francisco Leonard Cohen Festival, “The Song & Spirit of Leonard Cohen” brings together a dedicated local ensemble and internationally experienced guest musicians for a night focused on performance, interpretation, and the continuing life of Cohen’s songs.