Before Daniel Libeskind was known as the architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the master planner for the World Trade Center site, he was considered a musical prodigy. His instrument? The accordion. Growing up in Communist Poland, the young Libeskind had to painstakingly transcribe songs from the classical canon (Bach, mostly) to sate his musical appetite, establishing himself as a virtuoso and winning competitions. In 1953, at the age of 7, he performed “Flight of the Bumblebee” on Polish television.

The architect is flexing his musical muscles again, curating a 24-hour cycle of performances with Frankfurt’s Alter Oper on May 21. Called One Day in Life, Libeskind has personally curated more than 75 of the consecutive musical performances that will take place in 18 venues across the city.