Sunday Sessions: How Ori Brutman and Spencer Sher built The New School’s very own ‘Tiny Desk’ series

Returning for a second year, student-run concert series Sunday Sessions kicked off their first show of the semester on Aug. 25, and their next session is set to be held on Sept. 8 at 5 p.m.  

Based on NPR’s popular  Tiny Desk concert series, Sunday Sessions was started by New School students Ori Brutman and Spencer Sher in 2023. Brutman, a second-year contemporary jazz and Lang student, shared how Sunday Sessions started back in his first year at The New School.

As you walk into the Arnhold Hall building, home to the College of Performing Arts (CoPA), you’ll be greeted with loud music and chatter coming from the second floor. Sunday Sessions gleams with excitement and energy, not just because of the bright purple lights and thumping bass, but because of the people there. For one to two hours between 5-7 p.m., or their late night shows from 7-9 p.m.,  you can hear original music from artists waiting to be discovered. You get to rock out with talented people and eat delicious pizza and free soda in one building once a week. What’s not to love about that?

Sunday Sessions helps new bands land career opportunities by launching their work onto platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. But equally as important, “Sunday Sessions has become an opportunity for musicians to record their original sound,” Brutman said. Since its establishment, Brutman and Sher have hired a full production team with members receiving compensation in the form of dining dollars. 

Sunday Sessions is “solely a passion project,” Brutman said, and as co-producers, Brutman and Sher don’t get a salary. Everyone who participates in Sunday Sessions is doing it because they want to and they want to help these musicians. Sunday Sessions was lucky to receive some administrative help and support with funding from the Student Senate at the start of their production, but as of now, Sunday Sessions is a 100% student-led group. 

Sunday Sessions has now expanded into a team of behind-the-scenes artists specializing in camera and audio work, photography, and editing. Since the start of the video series, their team has doubled from 9 to 18, and they have worked with over 35 artists, stated Sher.  

A group called “The Third Rails,” which Sher called “their house band” specializes in  old-school, rock and roll blues. The Third Rails was Sunday Sessions’ first performance and episode ever. 

The lead singer of The Third Rails, Andrew Akkerman, shared his experience with Sunday Sessions from the beginning of the sessions themselves. The Third Rails initially started in 2021 and 2022 by performing in parks while clubs were still closed due to COVID-19. 

“We really didn’t have much to our name except for that video from Sunday Sessions for a while,” Akkerman said, “And when we were applying for gigs, a lot of promoters would look at our episode, and that gave them a really good jist of our sound and what we’re all about.” Akkerman lastly mentioned that Sunday Sessions is a really great place to start as an artist: “it’s pretty much free publicity.” 

According to Brutman, “at least one person in your group has to be a New School student.” Brutman shared how it’s been an honor to watch several artists launch their careers because of Sunday Sessions. 

Sunday Sessions not only allows practiced musicians to record their original music for future opportunities, but also allows beginners to learn how to work with audio, film, and edit and record their sounds. “It’s kind of like a passing down thing, and that’s what we’re trying to do — make this a lasting thing for years to come so people can keep doing Sunday Sessions,” Brutman said.  

Although Sher has participated in many groups at the University, “Sunday Sessions is what I’m most proud of,” he said. “This is what I think our legacy will be.”