Master of Melody: Ben Zion Shenker and Hasidic Song in America
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Book Talk
Produced by the American Society for Jewish Music’s Jewish Music Forum Co-sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Admission: Free |
Hasidic nigunim (devotional melodies) are a centerpiece of Hasidic mysticism and are believed to be one of the most effective tools for cleaving to God. Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker (1925–2016) was among the most important composers, preservers, and interpreters of nigunim in Hasidic history. In this lecture-concert, ethnomusicologist Dr. Gordon Dale will discuss the significance of Shenker’s life and legacy and explain the background to his new book, A Life in Music: Ben Zion Shenker and Hasidic Song in America.
Musical performances of Shenker’s pieces will be offered by some of the leading musicians of Hasidic song, all of whom worked closely with Shenker: world-famous cantor Yaakov Motzen; klezmer and bluegrass legend Andy Statman; leading expert and singer of Hasidic nigunim, Aaron Orlander; and distinguished Hasidic pianist Dov Lenchevsky.
About the Participants
Gordon Dale is Associate Professor of Jewish Musicology and Dr. Jack Gottlieb Scholar in Jewish Music Studies at Hebrew Union College. Dr. Dale’s scholarship focuses primarily on the role of music in the American Orthodox Jewish community, with a special concentration on Hasidic nigunim (sacred melodies). His recently released monograph, A Life in Music: Ben Zion Shenker and Hasidic Song in America (Jewish Music Research Centre, Hebrew University) received the Jordan Schnitzer First Book prize. Dr. Dale received a B.S. in Music from Northeastern University, followed by an M.A. in Music from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in Music from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Cantor Yaakov Motzen is among the most sought-after cantors in the world today. A fifth-generation cantor in his family’s lineage, Cantor Motzen studied vocal technique with the late Yosef Goland, the principal baritone in the Berlin Opera in the late 1920s. He has held positions as Chief Cantor in Givatayim, Haifa, and Ramat Gan, Israel, as well as serving congregations in Canada and the United States. Known for his brilliance in concert and in the synagogue, he travels the world sharing the cantorial arts. Well-versed in Hasidic music, Cantor Motzen had a decades-long friendship with Ben Zion Shenker and sang with him on numerous occasions.
Andy Statman is one of the generation’s premier mandolinists and clarinetists, renowned for a distinctive musical language that brings together bluegrass, klezmer, Hasidic music, jazz, and American roots traditions. Raised in Queens, Statman began as a bluegrass musician before reconnecting with his Jewish heritage and becoming a protégé of legendary klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras. His pioneering work helped spark the modern klezmer revival, while his mandolin playing established him as a major figure in progressive bluegrass and acoustic music. A 2012 NEA National Heritage Fellow, Statman has collaborated with artists including David Grisman, Itzhak Perlman, Ricky Skaggs, and Béla Fleck. Statman produced and performed on the final two recordings of renowned Hasidic composer Ben Zion Shenker.
Rabbi Aaron Orlander is a vocalist and recognized authority on Hasidic music, with knowledge that was developed through several decades as a close student of Ben Zion Shenker. Orlander has particular expertise in the Modzitzer musical canon and leads semiannual Modzitzer kumzitz events for the Brooklyn Hasidic community and serves as cantor for the Belz Hasidic community. Alongside his musical activities, Orlander is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Social Work at Touro University.
Dov Lenchevsky is a highly regarded pianist, accompanist, and multi-instrumentalist in the Hasidic community. Lenchevsky is recognized for his keen ear and ability to build rich, spontaneous arrangements around a melody in the classic Hasidic style. His playing is closely connected to the Modzitz repertoire and to the musical legacy of Ben Zion Shenker, and he regularly serves as the accompanist at Modzitz gatherings. Lenchevsky is also an accomplished photographer, frequently documenting major Hasidic gatherings.