Cantor William Sharlin z"l
Cantor William Sharlin (1920-2012) was born in Harlem to parents who had emigrated from Palestine. From earliest childhood, his spiritual life was defined by his Orthodox family, his intensive Hebrew education and the synagogue, a place he characterized as his “natural environment.”
In 1935, William and his parents returned to Palestine, where he studied piano at the Jerusalem Conservatory. In 1939, he moved back to New York, earning a Master of Music in Composition and Piano from The Manhattan School of Music. He later entered the School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Music and cantorial investiture as a member of the School’s first graduating class. He was also a founding member of the American Conference of Cantors.
In 1954, he became the Cantor at Leo Baeck Temple. His nearly forty years there were among the most musically inventive in the history of the cantorate. During his lifetime, he created a renowned catalogue of liturgical works, including his commission in 1972 to compose the inaugural service of HUC-JIR President Alfred Gottschalk. His music has been recorded and performed around the world. He is also recognized as a pioneer in professional Jewish camp song leading, serving as a trailblazer in introducing guitar music into the synagogue. He also headed the Department of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles for fifty years, retiring in May 1994 with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
He was married for over fifty years to the former Jacqueline Drucker (1926-2016), a concert pianist, who often premiered his compositions for piano. Their daughters, Ilana (Brent) and Lisa (Mark), and granddaughters, Kira and Simona, proudly keep the memory of their parents alive through their music and the loving spirit of family that was so important to William and Jacqui.
In 1935, William and his parents returned to Palestine, where he studied piano at the Jerusalem Conservatory. In 1939, he moved back to New York, earning a Master of Music in Composition and Piano from The Manhattan School of Music. He later entered the School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Music and cantorial investiture as a member of the School’s first graduating class. He was also a founding member of the American Conference of Cantors.
In 1954, he became the Cantor at Leo Baeck Temple. His nearly forty years there were among the most musically inventive in the history of the cantorate. During his lifetime, he created a renowned catalogue of liturgical works, including his commission in 1972 to compose the inaugural service of HUC-JIR President Alfred Gottschalk. His music has been recorded and performed around the world. He is also recognized as a pioneer in professional Jewish camp song leading, serving as a trailblazer in introducing guitar music into the synagogue. He also headed the Department of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles for fifty years, retiring in May 1994 with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
He was married for over fifty years to the former Jacqueline Drucker (1926-2016), a concert pianist, who often premiered his compositions for piano. Their daughters, Ilana (Brent) and Lisa (Mark), and granddaughters, Kira and Simona, proudly keep the memory of their parents alive through their music and the loving spirit of family that was so important to William and Jacqui.