“Larry Lesser is a rebbe sharing a beautiful Torah in tune, and doing it with
passion, wisdom, and love – of all Jews, of the entire tradition, and genuine
appreciation of how each of us journeys with it. An amazing accomplishment,
Sparks packs an incredible amount of Torah – along with equal measures of
sweetness, beauty and joy – into just over an hour of music. One could spend years
unpacking the texts which inspire this album’s tracks, which add up to a method
for living with greater meaning, purpose, and love – both of one’s self and of
others. What more could we need? And when could we need it more?”
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield
President of CLAL (The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership)
see other tributes here
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Larry has written dozens of innovative Jewish songs, some recorded on other artists’ CDs (Sababa; Ellen M. Wilson; Larry Bach) as well as on his own recent albums Night Will End (2025) as well as Sparks (2020; and Sparks Reignited, 2026). His songs have been performed at festivals, concerts, conferences, classes, services, or community rallies and he has co-written with Jewish music stars like Robbi Sherwin (Sababa; past president of the Women Cantors’ Network) and Daniel Cainer.
His passionate, profound and playful original non-liturgical nondenominational songs are grounded in Jewish text/culture, work in concert and class settings, and are accessible to audiences of varied backgrounds. So far, he has had 14+ different Jewish songs receive radio airplay, NPR station interviews (#1 & #2), newspaper features, peer-reviewed journal articles (TJE & ISJHR), concerts (from Chabad to Reform congregations), innovative holiday gatherings, academic presentations, an award-winning music video, and praise across from current/recent heads of national organizations across denominations (CLAL, USCJ, Mussar Institute, Partners in Torah, Women Cantors’ Network, etc.). Sparks was a 4-time Finalist in the 2021 New Mexico Music Awards in 4 categories (including Best Album) and the Winner for Best Humorous Song and is available on most major platforms. Night Will End was released in fall 2025, made the first-round ballot for the 2026 International Folk Music Awards, and is available here and here.
His journey did not include Jewish summer camp, day school, or yeshiva, but post-college relationships launched a path of adult learning amidst lived experience in a half-dozen denominations, a background that helps him connect with any audience. He strongly believes that the power of Jewish music/education goes beyond the boxes of genre, denomination, occupation, celebrity, and age.
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Larry’s most-travelled Jewish “hit” is “Healing Song,” which has been featured on albums and NPR station interviews, and used by congregations in bikkur cholim and worship settings. Otherwise, Larry has felt drawn to write non-liturgical songs — songs that explore Jewish identity, experience and teachings in a way that works across denominations and includes seekers as well as believers. Here are some examples:
“Max (The Bark Mitzvah Song)” won Best Humorous Song at the 2021 New Mexico Music Awards and was a semifinalist in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition
“Sparks” — atmospheric Kabbalah anthem was featured on Jewish Rock Radio (e.g., Joe Buchanan’s “Emerging Artist Showcase”), was a New Mexico Music Awards Finalist for Best Religious Song, and its video was featured in an international biweekly newsletter on science, music, art and culture
“Lights Lead Home” (song video was screened at venues ranging from a secular film festival to an international conference (e.g., Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies; more info here)
“What We’ll Bring” (a parsha song on Sababa’s 2007 debut album Pray for the Peace ; many of his other songs include Torah portion connections)
“Sderot Sky” (to open a 300-person community-wide “Stop the Sirens” program during the 2014 Israel-Gaza war and on a Cantors Assembly program 4 days after the October 7 attacks) and the October 7 song “Held”
“One-Way Train” (used in Holocaust commemorations and at an NEA Big Read event curated by Albuquerque’s Poet Laureate)
“Who You Are” (used in services and an international gallery curated by Artists Against Antisemitism)
“Kind” and “The Best” (see 18.6-min. mark of this) for events associated with the 2023 world premiere of the opera The Fox and the Cookie
“Every Shul” and “Deep and Wide” are paeans to pluralism
Recognitions for Lesser’s Jewish music have come from Jewish festivals (e.g., the Austin-based Celebration of Jewish Arts and Culture, the El Paso-based Jewish Food Festival, etc.) as well as broader secular contests (e.g., Winner and 4-time finalist at the New Mexico Music Awards). Also, he’s had recent peer-reviewed articles about his music in The Jewish Educator and The Israeli Journal of Humor Research, as well as a variety of media coverage. Larry’s songs sometimes bridge Jewish and general audiences, such as when his peace-seeking song “Break” premiered with UTEP’s stellar middle eastern music ensemble at the Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.
He also has many songs about Jewish dynamics, history, and culture that provide a blend of meaning, warmth, humor (sometimes with a local touch). He has performed at museums or congregations of denominations from Reform to Chabad. He has provided percussion (e.g., here or here) or guitar for local artists and has also performed with internationally touring artists, ranging from R. Shmuel “Torah Fiddler” Geller to Robbi Sherwin. Lesser has performed in concerts such as the Los Tres Larrys y Alison events in 2012 and 2014 (reported here) to raise money for local food pantries.
He was a featured performer in the 2015 Café Andalus debut at El Paso’s Anusim Center, a Lag B’Omer concert, a community-wide Jewish music festival Yom HaShir (at which he opened for Chava Mirel; see story), a 2019 Café Europa performance, the 2023 Jewish Food Festival in El Paso, and his original music was played to open presentations by award-winning authors Genie Milgrom and Karen Treiger. He has also been an occasional featured accompanist/musician at services. Many of his performances support community-building or healing, such as his being the music performer at a menorah lighting program in downtown El Paso a week after the 2025 Bondi Beach massacre.
Lesser has taught classes/workshops on song for general audiences (e.g., UT-Austin Informal Classes, United States Conference on Teaching Statistics, etc.) and for varied Jewish audiences, including classes for secondary school students (at El Paso’s Chai High and Houston’s Emery HS). He is a former music director of a Jewish congregation in Austin and a former teacher at a Jewish day school in Houston.
He’s come a long way from his first paid gig — Austin’s 1990 Israel Independence Day event, where the stage collapsed! He’s performed original songs at several events in Texas Jewish history, including Austin’s first Celebration of Jewish Arts and Culture festival, a city-wide interfaith service in Austin for the 50-year commemoration of Kristillnacht, the Kerrville Folk Festival’s first Shabbat service, and a town meeting for the planning of a JCC campus (what’s now Shalom Austin’s Dell Jewish Community Campus).
In addition to Jewish songwriting, Larry’s had Jewish-themed poetry in Desert Exposure, Poetica Magazine: Contemporary Jewish Writing, DRASH: Northwest Mosaic, BorderSenses Literary Magazine, Mizmor Poetry Anthology, and several books edited by R. Menachem Creditor. Also, two top national pedagogical newsletters published his “Opening Intentions” piece inspired by a reading in the Mishkan Tefillah siddur.
While he has published scholarly papers connecting Judaism and math education, his overall commitment to his career as a university professor means he can consider only a few selected out-of-town engagements each year, especially during the 9-month school year. But he thoroughly enjoys those opportunities to use his award-winning pedagogical skills to give engaging concerts and/or interactive talks for varied multi-congregational settings, audiences, and formats on music and other topics, such as:
“Divinity and Infinity” — beautiful and surprising parallels between the infinite in mathematics and in religion/Judaism (part of a funded international speaker series)
“How We Count” — an engaging exploration of how Jewish values are embedded in the very way we mark time, count in holy texts, and count our fellow Jews.
“How We Argue” — an engaging exploration of how Jewish values are embedded in the way we argue
“Lots and Lotteries” — an engaging exploration of Jewish texts and views on chance — ranging from the ancient casting of lots to modern playing of lotteries
“Who is Wise?” — a professor discusses secular and Jewish perspectives of what makes someone wise
“A Great Sage of the Talmud” – source-based discussion of Bruria, the Talmud’s top woman sage
“Composing a Path: A Songwriter Connects to Jewish Spirituality” — a published, award-winning songwriter shares examples of spiritual songcraft deeply grounded in Judaism, but accessible to all
“What is Jewish Pluralism?” — Pluralism is rooted in Jewish text and goes beyond tolerance or relativism. Informed by a Jewish path that has been greatly enriched by friends, family and experiences in almost all denominations, A provocative and respectful conversation on inspiration and challenges pluralism offers all of us.
“Attitude of Gratitude” — how Jewish is Thanksgiving? Let’s be thankful for this interactive discussion to explore how gratitude matters and how this character trait is built into the Jewish people: our text, our prayers, our mussar tradition, even our very name!
“Power of a Smile” — more than personality, this act is a Jewish text-based value