Ron Warren

Background

About Ron Warren

Ron Warren is an Echota Cherokee musician, currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and innovative Native American flute players in the country, he is also highly regarded as a song writer/composer/arranger and as a music educator. He performs regularly with singer Janice Torres and the blues/roots rock band, Many Roads Home, which they lead together. In his recent work, Ron continues on his chosen path of creating new music for Native Flute that expands the musical language of the instrument while remaining firmly in touch with traditional native musical structures and practices. His 2011 CD release, River & Circle, is an evocative collection of songs for solo Native American flute. These recorded performances have an immediacy and spontaneity that is at the heart of traditional musical practices. The structures of many of the songs as well as their natural world inspiration also reflect Cherokee symbolism. A five-time Native American Music Award nominee, Ron’s work has also been supported by the Music Omi Foundation, the Maryland Arts Council, the First Nations Composers Initiative, and has been featured on NPR, Canadian Broadcast Corporation, Pacifica Radio, and numerous other media outlets. His music has been used in several documentary films including a series on Native Repatriation issues produced by the Smithsonian Institute. As a soloist and with members of his band, Ron performs regularly at important venues, festivals and Native cultural events throughout the U.S. A 2011 Residency at Music Omi in New York provided a challenging and inspiring opportunity to create new music with traditional and avant-garde musicians from around the planet. Recent performance highlights include appearances with Janice Torres at the National Museum for the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and as Native Flute soloist with pianist Paul Barnes and the Minot Symphony Orchestra in the 2nd Piano Concerto by Philip Glass.