Henry Doktorski III (born January 30, 1956) is an American accordionist, organist and author.
Doktorski is the author of Killing for Krishna: The Danger of Deranged Devotion (2018), a 660-page nonfiction true-crime book about history of the New Vrindavan Hare Krishna community and the assassination of an American Hare Krishna devotee in 1986.Kailasa Candra dasa served as editor. See Killing For Krishna, p. 500. He is also the author of Eleven Naked Emperors: The Crisis of Charismatic Succession in the Hare Krishna Movement (1977-1987), published in 2020, as well as ten volumes of Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas (2020–2023).
Early life
Henry Doktorski III was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Polish-American parents Henry A. Doktorski and Theresa Maria Czartowicz, and grew up in East Brunswick. He cites his Polish background—accordions being often featured in Polish folk music—as a main factor in his childhood decision to take up the accordion rather than a different instrument. At the age of seven he began studying accordion.
As a pre-teenager during the mid-1960s he played ethnic music and jazz standards (inspired by Myron Floren from the Lawrence Welk television show), but as a teenager during the late 1960s and early 1970s his musical tastes changed, and he began playing the accordion in a rock band which performed the music of The Beatles, Grand Funk Railroad, Carlos Santana and Black Sabbath."Band Plays At Center", Suburban Weekly West, September 15, 1971, p. 7
On June 7, 1971, he was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (Troop 28 in East Brunswick), and received a Good Citizen Award from The American Legion.
Discovering classical music
At Saint Peters High School in New Brunswick, Doktorski discovered classical music after joining the school choir, and his life's direction became more clear. He began studying classical piano at the age of 16 and became proficient enough to win a scholarship as a piano major at Park College (today Park University) in Parkville, Missouri (near North Kansas City). There Doktorski studied piano with Robert C. Anderson, acted in and served as music director for several musicals (The Good Woman of Setzuan, Godspell, Scarpino Bambino, Damn Yankees, and Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris), sang as a chorus member with the Kansas City Lyric Opera and the Independence, Missouri Messiah Choir, and performed piano, harpsichord and celesta with the Northland Symphony Orchestra."Doktorski: A Man and His Music", The Park Stylus, April 14, 1978
He was elected to Who's Who Among Students at American Universities and Colleges from 1976 to 1978, and was nominated as a candidate for the post of 1977 Harvest Festival King."1977 Harvest Festival King and Queen Candidates", The Park Stylus, October 21, 1977
Life with the Hare Krishnas In August 1978, hardly three months after finishing college, Doktorski's life changed dramatically when he joined the Hare Krishna movement at the rural New Vrindaban Community in Marshall County, West Virginia. He explained that he was unhappy with his life, and wanted to develop his spiritual side: "In college, I discovered music; the answer to my search for happiness. ... But I was miserable. ... If I wanted to compose, conduct and perform music which would awaken suffering humanity to the platform of love of God, first I would have to become a pure devotee [of God]. Only then would my talent have any value.""Prelude to Perfection", Brijabasi Spirit, February 1982
Doktorski began following the principles and practices of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as delineated by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), the Indian guru and Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He accepted initiation on March 13, 1979, from Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada (1937–2011), the ISKCON guru and founder of New Vrindaban, and was awarded the Sanskrit name "Hrishikesh dasa" ("Servant of Krishna, who is master of the senses").Henry Doktorski, Killing For Krishna (2018), p. 509.
During his time in the New Vrindaban Community, Doktorski helped build Prabhupada's Palace of GoldPrabhupada's Palace of Gold and briefly taught at the gurukula (grade school). In 1985 he helped establish the first office for the publication and distribution for Bhaktipada's books (Bhakti Books, later to be known as Palace Publishing).
Returning to the accordion
Later Doktorski served as the Minister of Music (principal organist, choirmaster, orchestra director and composer-in-residence) during the New Vrindaban "City of God" interfaith era from 1986 until 1993. He composed music and performed for the three daily temple services (5 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m.) During this time, at the request of his guru, he picked up his accordion again after many years, and began playing it during the evening services. The accordion was a hit and several monks asked him to teach them how to play.Debbi Neer, "Master Musician Shares Talent", Wheeling Intelligencer, March 19, 1990
He formed and directed an accordion orchestra which gave their debut performance at the Wheeling City of Lights parade on November 17, 1989."Accordion Ensemble at Lights Fest", Wheeling News Register, November 12, 1989 This accordion ensemble won trophies at the American Accordion Musicological Society convention (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, March 1990), the American Accordionists Association convention (Washington D.C., July 1990), and the Accordion Teacher's Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration (Kansas City, Missouri, August 1990)."Accordionists Win First Prize", Moundsville Daily Echo, August 24, 1990 Doktorski himself won first place in the American Accordion Musicological Society virtuoso solo competition.Bob Kostanczuk. "Main squeeze: Polka, no! Accordion player aims to wow crowd with symphonic fare", Post-Tribune, 2005-09-16, p. D1.
In 1990, the American composer Alan Hovhaness composed a brief work entitled Hymn for Doktorski, which Doktorski recorded on his 2005 CD Classical Accordion Recital. This CD was selected for admission into the collection of The Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre in Yerevan, Armenia."Alan Hovhaness and Henry Doktorski"
In October 1993, Doktorski abandoned his service at the New Vrindaban Community when he became convinced about allegations regarding his guru's inappropriate sexual conduct with young men. Doktorski participated in the grassroots movement which questioned Bhaktipada's qualifications for leadership, and eventually recommended returning New Vrindaban to the temple worship style as advocated by the ISKCON founder and acharya, Swami Prabhupada.Rochford, Burke E. Jr. and Kendra Bailey "Almost Heaven: Leadership, Decline and the Transformation of New Vrindaban" in Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, vol. 9, no. 3, February 2006
Doktorski left the community in April 1994, and moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was awarded a graduate assistantship at Duquesne University. He received a Master of Music degree with a major in composition in 1997. From 1997 to 2015 he served on the faculty of the City Music Center of Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music.
Concert accordionist
After moving to Pittsburgh, Doktorski attempted to capitalize on his classical accordion expertise, with some success. Between 1995 and 2005 he performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra forty times (on accordion, piano, harpsichord, organ, and celesta).
From 1997 to 2015 Doktorski served as instructor of accordion on the faculty of the City Music Center at Duquesne University. He also served for two seasons as instructor of accordion at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.Debbie Carter, "Accordion fans enjoy unique musical niche", Fairbanks Daily News Miner, July 21, 2005
In 1997, Doktorski founded The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.—a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the accordion and classical music.The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.
Recordings
Doktorski was featured as accordion soloist in six compact discs:
A Classical Christmas with the Pittsburgh Chamber Orchestra (Alanna Records, 1993), Music by George Gershwin with the Duquesne Chamber Players (Alanna Records, 1998—This CD was part of a tribute for the 100th anniversary of Gershwin's birth),"Accordionists join raft of Gershwin tributes", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1998-09-24, p. F1. Vaudeville Accordion Classics: The Complete Works of Guido Deiro (2003 solo album, Bridge Records), Classical Accordion Recital (2005 solo album, The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.), Celebrated Polkas by Pietro Deiro (2006 solo album, The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.), Ave Maria: Hymns to Mary (2007 solo album, The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.).
Joseph McLellan of The Washington Post described Doktorski's A Classical Christmas as "the most interesting instrumental collection of Christmas music this year".Joseph McLellan. "Classical recordings: 'Favorite Tenors': Have Yourself a Jose Carreras Christmas", The Washington Post, December 12, 1993, p. G8.
Gramophone magazine reported highly of his two-disc album of historic original works for accordion from the 1910s and 1920s released by Bridge Records—Vaudeville Accordion Classics: "It takes only a few tracks—impeccably performed by Henry Doktorski and, just as importantly, superbly engineered to Bridge's standards—to show the visceral appeal to audiences of its day."Ken Smith, "Music by Mae West's husband? Yes, really", Gramophone, vol. 81, no. 978, April 2004
Doktorski also played accordion with Itzhak Perlman and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of John Williams on the 1997 Sony Classical Records CD (SK 63005) Cinema Serenade which appeared on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart for 92 weeks, where it reached number one.Doktorski has also recorded with soprano Hila Plitmann and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony (Vintage Alice by David Del Tredici), contralto Daphne Alderson, pianist Charlie Schaffer, and singer/guitarist Anne Feeney (See: http://henrydoktorski.com/discography.html).
Author-composer Doktorski has become known as a Hare Krishna historian, and to date has published twelve books about the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Swami Bhaktipada and the New Vrindaban Krishna Community:
Killing For Krishna--The Danger of Deranged Devotion (2018), Eleven Naked Emperors--The Crisis of Charismatic Succession in the Hare Krishna Movement (2020), Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 1: A Crazy Man (2020), Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 2: A Pioneer Community (2021). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 3: Prabhupada's Palace of Gold (2020), Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 4: Deviations in the Dhama (2021). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 5: The Murder and the Mandir (2020). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 6: The Guru Business (2022). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 7: Trials and Tribulations (2022). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 8: The City of God (2022). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 9: Pushed Out Completely (2023). Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas: Vol. 10: The Final Pastimes (2023). Sicarios Por Krishna--El Peligro de la Devoción Desquiciada (2019), a Spanish translation of Killing For Krishna, Uccidere per Krishna--Il Pericolo di una Devozione Squilibrata (2021), an Italian translation of Killing For Krishna,