(www.ronkorb.com) Flutist Ron Korb has been travelling and collecting indigenous woodwinds from Europe, Asia, and South America for years. His compositions are steeped in the diverse cultural traditions and experiences of his travels and his upbringing in Toronto. In 2014 Ron Korb represented Canada at The Shanghai International Arts Festival’s Canadian Culture Week along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Montreal Symphony. Ron’s sold out concert was voted the audience choice by the fans. For years, Asian media has described him as top magical flutist for his unique virtuosity on a wide variety of world woodwinds.
Ron has toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada, The USA, Central America, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Mainland China. He has over thirty critically acclaimed releases and reissues in twenty countries on various record labels. The albums are on many top favourite lists and legendary singers in Asia have made cover versions of his music.
Ron Korb spent a year at York University studying jazz and ethnomusicology before transferring to the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music where he graduated with honours with a degree in music performance. After that, he studied bamboo flutes in Tokyo with master flutist Akao Michiko and developed new playing techniques for the Asian as well as western and world flutes.
Ron has given solo performances twice at The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC., The Shanghai Concert Hall and The Glastonbury Festival in England. He has also performed at The National Theatre in Panama City, The Century Theatre in Beijing, World Art Stage in Edinburgh, Arnhem Cathedral in Holland and Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Monument-National in Montreal, The Chan Centre For the Performing Arts in Vancouver and Madison Square Gardens in New York.
He has also shared stages with Peter Gabriel, Jane Siberry, Tia Carrere, Liona Boyd, The Yardbirds, Olivia Newton John, Kazu no Gakudan, Cesaria Evora, Lorraine Segato, Jeff Martin, John Kaizan Neptune, Ma Xiang Hua, Tan Yan Jian George Gao and Dadawa. Ron has performed for Queen Elizabeth, the Prime Minister of Canada, Princess Takamado of Japan, Princess Bopha Devi of Cambodia, The World Festival of Sacred Music in Thailand and was featured on the World Youth Day recording for Pope John Paul.
Ron has played on hundreds of movie soundtracks particularly ones that require a world music flavour. The films include Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm and Ride with the Devil, Atom Egoyan’s Exotica,Sweet Hereafter and Felicia’s Journey, Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra John Woo’s Blackjack and the 3D IMAX film Space Station narrated by Tom Cruise. Other credits include The SnowWalker,Being Julia and Merchant/Ivory’s The White Countess starring Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave. Last year Ron played on an Emmy winning episode of World Without End by Golden Globe and Academy Award winning composer Mychael Danna.
In 2013 Ron’s album Europa has won the Global Music Award for Excellence in Composition and Best Instrumental Solo performance, Album of the Year and Best Album Design. his year, Ron is releasing his new album, Asia Beauty, with all original compositions based on his experiences of travelling and performing in Asia and working with Chinese musicians.
