OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska has never had one, and now, it has two: The Potash Twins are the state's first-ever Composer Laureates.
- Adeev and Ezra Potash are credited with the sort of innovation that's redefined horn music for this day and age.
- "We feel that Omaha and Nebraska not only made us the artists and musicians that we are, but also the people that we are," Adeev said of the support they've received.
- "The goal for us with this is to make sure that people know that Omaha and Nebraska at large... it's not a stepping stone for artists, it's really a destination for them," Ezra said of their focus as Composer Laureates.
Continue reading for the transcript of the story as it appeared on-air.
Their circle is filled with stars in sports and entertainment. The Potash Twins are described as 'Hollywood's go-to horn section.' And yet, for them, nothing compares to home.
"We feel that Omaha and Nebraska not only made us the artists and musicians that we are, but also the people that we are," Adeev Potash, 31, explained.
Having spent years performing around the world, recording albums and hosting their own shows - these days, Adeev and Ezra are spending more time in Nebraska. In part, because the brothers are the state's first-ever Composer Laureates.
"The goal for us with this is to make sure that people know that Omaha and Nebraska at large. It's not a stepping stone for artists, it's really a destination for them," Ezra said.
Adding, "When our friends do perform here, they call us and say, 'Omaha is so cool. Why didn't anybody tell me about this?' We're like, 'We know. We know where we're from - it's amazing.'"
Similar to a State Poet, as Composer Laureates named by Governor Jim Pillen, the Potash Twins advocate for music statewide.
Their specialties are trombone for Ezra and trumpet for Adeev.
We met at the Holland Center because it's where they met Wynton Marsalis when they were still in school at Westside.
"We came and we had a private lesson with him and after that, he helped us with our college essays and helped us move to New York City. That would have never happened - and that launched everything for us. And none of that would have happened without him and none of that would have happened without Omaha Performing Arts," Adeev reflected.
With a new talk show on the horizon and a few business ventures, too, they see 2025 as a year of opportunity - for themselves, but more so, what their dialed-up engagement could mean for others.