Jack Lenz
Encyclopedia
Jack Lenz is a Canadian
Bahá'í
composer. He has written, performed, and produced music for film, television, and theatre, along with working on non-soundtrack album ventures. He is also the founder of Live Unity Enterprises, an organization devoted to the production of music for the Bahá'í
community, and dramatic and musical resources to help promote its teachings
. For example, Lenz wrote the music for the Expectation opening music for the second Bahá'í World Congress
in 1992 with an audience of tens of thousands of Bahá'ís from around the world.
Lenz became well-known in the United States after working on the score for Mel Gibson
's film The Passion of the Christ
. Among his current projects is working on a movie about the persecution of Bahá'ís
in Iran, particularly the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad
who suffered under the persecution in Iran, under the title of Mona's Dream.
and Loggins and Messina
touring around the world, performing before large audiences, and recording. Lenz' involvement in children's issues stems partly from having seven children of his own, as well as being an arena which avoids "the conflict between what I believe about music and its sacred nature and dealing with what a lot of programming deals with, which sometimes could be the worst aspects of human nature." Lenz joined the Bahá'í Faith
in 1969.
, NBC
, Nickelodeon
, PAX TV, Discovery Channel
, Scholastic-HBO, Showtime, and Nelvana
/ CBS
as well as theatrical works.
Winner of several SOCAN Awards
, Paul Gross
, David Keeley, Doug Cameron
, as well as Adam Crossley, Holly Stell, The Crawling Kingsnakes and Ava Bowers.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
composer. He has written, performed, and produced music for film, television, and theatre, along with working on non-soundtrack album ventures. He is also the founder of Live Unity Enterprises, an organization devoted to the production of music for the Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
community, and dramatic and musical resources to help promote its teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
. For example, Lenz wrote the music for the Expectation opening music for the second Bahá'í World Congress
Bahá'í World Congress
The Bahá'í World Congress is a large gathering of Bahá'ís from across the world that is called irregularly by the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís...
in 1992 with an audience of tens of thousands of Bahá'ís from around the world.
Lenz became well-known in the United States after working on the score for Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
's film The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
. Among his current projects is working on a movie about the persecution of Bahá'ís
Persecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
in Iran, particularly the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad
Mona Mahmudnizhad
Mona Mahmudnizhad was an Iranian Bahá'í who, in 1983, together with nine other Bahá'í women, was sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran because of her membership in the Bahá'í Faith...
who suffered under the persecution in Iran, under the title of Mona's Dream.
Background
Jack Lenz was born in Eston, Saskatchewan. His mother was also raised in Saskatchewan, and his father came to Canada from Hungary during the Depression. Still in his youth Lenz took piano lessons from Garth Beckett and later studied composition at the University of Saskatchewan. Lenz became a professional musician when he played keyboards and flute for the soft-rock bands Seals and CroftsSeals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts is a band made up of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts . The soft rock duo was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. They are best known for their hits "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl"...
and Loggins and Messina
Loggins and Messina
Loggins and Messina are an American rock-pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina who achieved their success in the early to mid 1970s...
touring around the world, performing before large audiences, and recording. Lenz' involvement in children's issues stems partly from having seven children of his own, as well as being an arena which avoids "the conflict between what I believe about music and its sacred nature and dealing with what a lot of programming deals with, which sometimes could be the worst aspects of human nature." Lenz joined the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
in 1969.
Programs
Lenz has done music production work for over 100 programs for various categories of mass media including television series and information/news programming, feature films, movies of the week, documentaries, live to broadcast, and children's television productions for networks like the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, PAX TV, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, Scholastic-HBO, Showtime, and Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
/ CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as well as theatrical works.
- Little Mosque on the PrairieLittle Mosque on the PrairieLittle Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
(2007) - "Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye" (12 episodes, 2003–2005)
- The Passion of the ChristThe Passion of the ChristThe Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
(2004) - GoosebumpsGoosebumps (TV series)Goosebumps is a Canadian children's horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books.-Networks:...
- Due SouthDue SouthDue South is a Canadian crime drama series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, and latterly Callum Keith Rennie...
(All Series) - RoboCop: The SeriesRoboCop: The SeriesRoboCop: The Series is a 1994 television series based on the film of the same name. It stars Richard Eden as the title character. Made to appeal primarily to children and young teenagers, it lacks the graphic violence that was the hallmark of RoboCop and RoboCop 2...
- 13 years of the Hospital for Sick Children's Telethon
- 7 years of YTV's Youth Achievement Awards
- musical direction of A tribute to renowned author, Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
- more than twenty separate television productions back to 1983.
- Doc, a small town Montana pysician, Dr. Clint Cassidy, who moves to the Big Apple in a Toronto based series starring Billy Ray Cyrus. Excellent family oriented drama in a contemporary style of the Waltons and Little House on the Prairie.
- Atomic BettyAtomic BettyAtomic Betty is a Canadian animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Films & Television, and Tele Images Kids. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada and M6 and Télétoon in France. It currently airs on CITV. The series has once again begun...
- "Nanalan
Awards
Nominated for several Gemini Awards:- Best Original Music Score for a Series for:Due SouthDue SouthDue South is a Canadian crime drama series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, and latterly Callum Keith Rennie...
, episode "Free Willie". (1995) - Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series for: "Due South", episode "The Gift of the Wheelman". (1996)
- Best Pre-School Program or Series for: Nanalan'Nanalan'Nanalan' is a Canadian television show broadcast by the CBC in Canada and by PBS in the US, created by the puppet troupe, The Grogs. Its target audience is preschool children and, according to the CBC, Nanalan is "designed to foster children's curiosity and love of learning, with the hope they will...
(2003) (Executive Producer and Music Director)
Winner of several SOCAN Awards
- 14th Annual SOCAN Awards 2003
- Domestic Non-Animated Television Series Music Award
- International Television Series Music Award
- News & Sports Television Programming Music Award
- 16th Annual SOCAN Awards 2005
- Domestic Non-Animated Television Series Music Award
Albums or songs on albums
- Andrea by Andrea BocelliAndrea BocelliAndrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
(2004) (Go Where Love Goes) - Musical Director of the Inauguration of the Bahá'í Terraces on Mount CarmelMount CarmelMount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
in Haifa, Israel, (2001) - Music from the Second Bahá'í World CongressBahá'í World CongressThe Bahá'í World Congress is a large gathering of Bahá'ís from across the world that is called irregularly by the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís...
(1992, released 1994) (4 of 16 songs), commissioned by the Universal House of JusticeUniversal House of JusticeThe Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
- Expectation (words from the scriptures of ZoroasterZoroasterZoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
, MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, IsaiahIsaiahIsaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
, KrishnaKrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, BuddhaGautama BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, Jesus Christ, MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Music by Jack Lenz) - See the Light
- Glad Tidings
- Garden of Ridván.
- Expectation (words from the scriptures of Zoroaster
- Jewel in the Lotus (1987) (4 of 10 songs)
- We Are Baha'is (1982)
- Lenz also produced an 6 hr talk on Music and The Arts - The Oneness of Humankind, a spiritual journey explaining the origin of the various art forms and its important necessity in our lives.
- Lenz performed flute on 1977's Loggins and MessinaLoggins and MessinaLoggins and Messina are an American rock-pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina who achieved their success in the early to mid 1970s...
Finale (album)Finale (album)Finale is the second live double album by singer/songwriter duo Loggins and Messina, released in early 1977 ....
. - Lenz, with Tony Kosinec,Alan Smith, and Pat Arbour wrote the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
"OK Blue JaysOK Blue Jays"OK Blue Jays" is the song played during the seventh-inning stretch of home games of the Canadian Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The song includes references to the team's roster and events from the 1980s. It was released in 1983 and charted 47th on RPM's singles list. By 1986,...
" song, which has become the Jays anthem, and is sung during the seventh-inning stretchSeventh-inning stretchThe seventh-inning stretch is a tradition in baseball that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of any game – in the middle of the seventh inning. Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around. It is a popular time to get a late-game snack as...
at the Rogers CentreRogers CentreRogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
.
Artists
Lenz has done production work for various artists including Ravi ShankarRavi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, Paul Gross
Paul Gross
Paul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
, David Keeley, Doug Cameron
Doug Cameron (musician)
Douglas John Cameron is a Canadian musician and composer best known for writing and performing a protest song entitled "Mona with the Children" about a Persian Bahá'í woman, Mona Mahmudnizhad, who, in 1983, together with nine other Bahá'í women, was sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran,...
, as well as Adam Crossley, Holly Stell, The Crawling Kingsnakes and Ava Bowers.
External links
- Millennnium Arts Society - Jack Lenz in conversation with Joseph LernerJoseph LernerJoseph Lerner is a Canadian composer and political analyst. His writings cover a diverse range of subjects. In 2007, he held the position of Communication Analyst-Strategist in Provincial Election in Ontario, Canada.- External links :**...
- Mona's Dream