Henry Sapoznik
Encyclopedia
Henry "Hank" Sapoznik העניק סאַפאַזשניק (b. 1953, Brooklyn
, New York
) is an award winning author, record and radio producer and performer of traditional Yiddish
and American music. With MacArthur Fellow
David Isay, he produced the 10-week radio series the "Yiddish Radio Project" on the history of Jewish broadcasting for NPR
’s All Things Considered
in the spring of 2002. The series won the prestigious Peabody Award
for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism for 2002.
A pioneering scholar and performer of klezmer
music, Sapoznik founded the Max and Frieda Weinstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and was its first director from 1982 to 1994. As an outgrowth of that work, in 1985 Sapoznik started "KlezKamp
: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program", the world's most important training venue for practitioners of this nearly lost art and, in 1994, founded Living Traditions to administer it.
His "Klezmer! Jewish Music from Old World to Our World" (ISBN 0-02-864574-X), the first book on the history of klezmer music, was the winner of the 2000 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Excellence in Music Scholarship.
A four-time Grammy
nominated performer/producer, Sapoznik has recorded and/or produced over 35 recordings of traditional Yiddish and American music. Nominated for a 2002 Emmy Award
for his music score
to the documentary film
"The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg". His 2005 3-CD anthology
of country music
pioneer Charlie Poole for Sony Columbia Legacy was nominated for three Grammy awards (Best Historical Album, Best Album Notes, Best Box Design). In 2007, he co-produced the 3-CD reissue anthology "People Take Warning! Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs 1913–1938" with Christopher King and authored the notes, which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy award for Best Historical Album. His most recent project with co-producer King is the 2 CD reissue box set "Ernest V. Stoneman: The Unsung Father of Country Music 1925–1934" for 5 String Productions (2008). He co-produced, with Sherry Mayrent and Christopher King, the 3-CD compilation "Cantors, Klezmorim and Crooners 1905–1953: Classic Yiddish 78s from the Mayrent Collection". In his Wall Street Journal review, Nat Hentoff
calls Sapoznik a "fount of historical and anecdotal knowledge of Yiddish culture and history".
Sapoznik is director of the Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, and is also the curator of the Henry Sapoznik Collection (AFC 2010/003), an archive documenting Yiddish-American Radio, at the American Folklife Center
, Library of Congress
.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) is an award winning author, record and radio producer and performer of traditional Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
and American music. With MacArthur Fellow
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
David Isay, he produced the 10-week radio series the "Yiddish Radio Project" on the history of Jewish broadcasting for NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
’s All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
in the spring of 2002. The series won the prestigious Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism for 2002.
A pioneering scholar and performer of klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music, Sapoznik founded the Max and Frieda Weinstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and was its first director from 1982 to 1994. As an outgrowth of that work, in 1985 Sapoznik started "KlezKamp
KlezKamp
KlezKamp is a yearly Klezmer music and Yiddish culture festival which takes place in late December in New York State. Founded in 1984, participants come from all over the world, but especially the East Coast of the United States and Canada, for a week of immersion in the culture and the chance to...
: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program", the world's most important training venue for practitioners of this nearly lost art and, in 1994, founded Living Traditions to administer it.
His "Klezmer! Jewish Music from Old World to Our World" (ISBN 0-02-864574-X), the first book on the history of klezmer music, was the winner of the 2000 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Excellence in Music Scholarship.
A four-time Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominated performer/producer, Sapoznik has recorded and/or produced over 35 recordings of traditional Yiddish and American music. Nominated for a 2002 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for his music score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
to the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
"The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg". His 2005 3-CD anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
pioneer Charlie Poole for Sony Columbia Legacy was nominated for three Grammy awards (Best Historical Album, Best Album Notes, Best Box Design). In 2007, he co-produced the 3-CD reissue anthology "People Take Warning! Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs 1913–1938" with Christopher King and authored the notes, which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy award for Best Historical Album. His most recent project with co-producer King is the 2 CD reissue box set "Ernest V. Stoneman: The Unsung Father of Country Music 1925–1934" for 5 String Productions (2008). He co-produced, with Sherry Mayrent and Christopher King, the 3-CD compilation "Cantors, Klezmorim and Crooners 1905–1953: Classic Yiddish 78s from the Mayrent Collection". In his Wall Street Journal review, Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff is an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media and writes regularly on jazz and country music for The Wall Street Journal....
calls Sapoznik a "fount of historical and anecdotal knowledge of Yiddish culture and history".
Sapoznik is director of the Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, and is also the curator of the Henry Sapoznik Collection (AFC 2010/003), an archive documenting Yiddish-American Radio, at the American Folklife Center
American Folklife Center
The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC was created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife" . The center includes the Archive of Folk Culture, established at the Library in 1928 as a repository for American folk music...
, Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.