John Kalani Zak
Host, Classical MusicJohn Kalani Zak, the son of an airline executive father and a journalist mother, was born in Washington D. C. He has lived in and traveled to many locations around the globe, and is delighted to call Hawaiʻi his home.
Hawaiian ways and traditions have captivated John for as long as he can remember. He had the joy of making several documentary films, including Hawaiian Healing and Pule Wailele, which screened at the HIFF and Maui film festivals in Hawaiʻi and overseas. Other projects include a book, Hawaiian Massage Lomilomi, Sacred Touch of Aloha.
In addition to duties as an on-air host with Hawaiʻi Public Radio, John is a voice-over actor, producing and narrating books for Audible.com, among other projects.
Past work includes producing and/or directing daytime serials, including The Bold and the Beautiful, One Life to Live, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. John has received 7 national Emmy nominations, an Emmy Award, and was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award. He is a member of the Hawaiian Historical Society and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club.
Zak is also an avid photographer. He loves all forms of music, from Hawaiian, to classical, to Brazilian jazz, to Bulgarian folksongs.
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For many years, U.S. Rep. Ed Case has been a staunch advocate for veterans. He speaks with his friend and constituent Allen Hoe about Allen's experiences as a combat medical officer in the Army.
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HPR Military Voices Initiatives producer John Kalani Zak shares his experience producing segments for StoryCorps.
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Family of NGO volunteer trapped in Gaza seeks help for safe exit; a Big Island mom's story after son's deployment is recorded by StoryCorps; a new book connects Native Hawaiian practices with health and social justice; and South Korea's K-beauty industry prompts author to pen a new book
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Carla Orellana, a Hawaiʻi Island mother who works with wounded warriors, confronted her deepest fears when her son was deployed to Afghanistan. She talks about what it was like learning that her son had been severely injured.
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We discuss an investigation into the health impacts on disaster recovery workers; HFD shares tips on how to safeguard your home and kitchen from fire; the author of Willow Weep for Me talks about the 25th anniversary of her book; and we share a local story recorded by the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative
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Friends Richard Ha and Alexey Katko discuss Richard's life and his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War. After dropping out of college, Richard was drafted into the military, where he discovered life-saving leadership skills in the jungles of Vietnam.
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Conductor and musical director Joseph Stepec joins Classical Pacific’s Wednesday host, John Zak, in a lively discussion about the challenges and opportunities in bringing classical music to young people across the islands.
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HPR Classical Music Host, John Zak talks story with guitarist, Ian O'Sullivan, and violinist, Wu Hung, about Chamber Music Hawaii's concerts that explore…
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Welcome to Classical Pacific for December 15th, 2017. I’m your host, John Zak. In today’s episode of Classical Pacific, we’ll hear music of Tchaikovsky,…
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Welcome to Classical Pacific for December 14th, 2017. I’m your host, John Zak. In today’s episode of Classical Pacific, we’ll hear music of Schubert,…