Director Jeremy Thal chronicles his musical awakening and early fascination with Russian culture, as well as the creative impetus behind the OneBeat Russia program. “I could never be as devoted a fan as the kids who sported Primus T-shirts, who cloud-nined their cars to Phish, or who sewed Dead Kennedys patches onto their jean jackets. I aspired to like the music one day, when I was cooler. In the interim, the only music that could match the depth of angst in my adolescent soul was early 20th century Russian classical,” writes Thal reflecting on his time growing up in Wisconsin. Check out the full article on Medium.