Ron Korb

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Ron Korb
File:Ron Korb press conference in Taipei 2004.JPG
Ron Korb Asia Tour press conference in Taipei
Background information
Birth name Ronald Walter Korb
Origin Toronto, Canada
Genres Classical Crossover, melodic world music, jazz, Latin, Asian music, Celtic music, New-age
Occupations Musician, composer, flutist, Recording artist, Producer, songwriter, singer, arranger
Instruments Flute, Bass flute, Native American flute, Irish flute, tin whistle, dizi, Xun, Xiao, Bawu, Shinobue, Ryūteki, Willow flute Ocarina, Voice
Years active 1988–present
Labels EMI (Hong Kong), Holborne (Australia), Humbledragon (North America), Jingo (Taiwan), Orange Music (Singapore), ROI (China), Starsing (China)
Website ronkorb.com
Notable instruments
Brennan gold flute, Muramatzu flute, Altus bass flute

Ron Korb is a Canadian flutist (flautist), composer, recording artist, producer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute (Traditional Chinese: 龍笛; pinyin: Lóng-dí ) in China, Thunder Blessing (Traditional Chinese: 雷恩寇伯 ; pinyin: Lái-en-kò-búo) in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes (Japanese: furūto no kikōshi) in Japan[1]

Ron Korb released Asia Beauty in 2015. The album was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 58th Grammy Awards, to be held 16 February 2016.[2]

Musical style

Korb is known for writing culturally diverse music and his mastery of a wide array of world music wind instruments. His work spans a range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Latin, Asian, Celtic music, and Middle Eastern. Many of his songs are program music based on stories themes that form concept albums. The concepts often come from his exploration of his multi-cultural ancestry and extensive travel experience.[3]

Education

Ron Korb started on the recorder in grade school and later joined an Irish fife and drum band in his teens. While attending the Royal Conservatory of Music, he won several local music competitions. He attended York University for a year to broaden his experience of playing jazz but later earned a scholarship to study classical flute at University of Toronto where he graduated with a degree in Music Performance. His primary teacher was Douglas Stewart but he also participated in master classes with Paula Robison, Robert Aitken in Shawnigan, Raymond Guiot in Domaine Forget and Michel Debost in Assisi, Italy. After graduating with honors from University, Korb discovered Chinese flutes (Chinese: 笛子, English:Dizi, [pinyin]: dÍ zÎ). The sound of the Asian bamboo flute intrigued him so much that he moved to Japan in the early '90s to study Japanese Gagaku court music, the traditional shinobue and ryūteki bamboo flutes with Akao Michiko. Since then he has travelled around the world collecting and studying indigenous flutes. He has a collection of more than 250 flutes.([2])

Career

Ron Korb has released more than 30 solo albums in 20 countries on various record labels.[4] He has also guested on recordings by many renowned artists such as Olivia Newton-John, Liona Boyd, Mychael Danna, Renaissance, Jim McCarty, Illusion, and the World Youth Day recording for Pope John Paul. Ron's talents have been employed in many major film and television scores. He has played on many Gemini, Genie and Cannes Film Festival award winning projects and even Academy Award nominated films by directors such as Ang Lee, Atom Egoyan, John Woo, and Mira Nair (for detailed list see IMDb, Internet Movie Database). In Robert Lepage's film Nô Ron played the nohkan on camera in the opening scene dressed in traditional kimono.[5] Ron was also featured in the documentary called Stolen Memories.[6]

Ron has had many collaborations with longtime friend Donald Quan. In 1990 they released Tear of the Sun which charted No. 1 in the Canadian New Age Music Top 40 and in 2001 they did the musical direction for Peter Gabriel's Tribute and Homage for Harbourfront Centre's "World Leaders". The musical talent they shared the stage with included Peter Gabriel, Jane Siberry, Tia Carrere, Arn Chorn-Pond, Jeff Martin, Andy Stochansky and Lorraine Segato. That same year they penned the song for the Toronto Olympic Bid which was performed by the Toronto Symphony, Samba Squad and Nathaniel Dett Chorale in Roy Thomson Hall.

In 2004 Ron Korb Live was released which was filmed in Victoriaville Quebec, directed by Pierre and François Lamoureux and became the first independent artist in Canada to release a full length DVD.[7]

Composing

Other than writing the instrumental pieces for his albums he has also written songs for major Asian singers. His song for Alan Tam (Traditional Chinese:譚詠麟) achieved Double Platinum sales. Another song recorded by the "Godfather of Cantopop" Roman Tam (Traditional Chinese:羅文) won Best Original Composition at the RTHK awards (Radio Television Hong Kong), Hong Kong's equivalent of the Grammys. In 2008 Ron was asked to put together a book of flute and piano pieces for classical flute exams for the Australian Music Examinations Board Flute for Leisure syllabus. Ron has also composed music for film dance and theatre. In 2012, Ron Korb's classical crossover album Europa (officially released in 2013, won the Global Music Awards, California, in 4 categories including: Award of Excellence-Album, Composition (St. Johann), Album Art/Graphics (Designer: Jade Yeh); Award of Merit: Acoustic Instrumental Solo Performance (St. Johann).[8] His composition, Beckett's Whisper, originally written for Irish flute, pennywhistle, violin, cello, Celtic harp, accordian, double bass and piano, was rearranged by Korb himself for the Canadian Flute Association for flute choir: Piccolo, 4 C Flutes (flute 4 requires low B foot), Alto flute, Bass flute, Contrabass flute.[9] Beckett's Whisper for flute choir was included in the 1st Canadian Flute Convention Closing Program as well as the opening concert of the 2014 National Flute Association (NFA) Convention in Chicago (played by Windy City Flute Orchestra, conducted by Kelly Via) [10]

Touring

Ron Korb has performed in five continents including venues and events such as: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the World Art Stage in Edinburgh, the Eusebius' church in Arnhem in the Netherlands, The Glastonbury Festival in England, Teatro Nacional de Panama, Heian Shrine in Kyoto, Zhong Shan Hall in Taiwan, The Shanghai International Music Festival, The Century Theatre in Beijing and Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou, China. Also he represented Canada at Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan.[11] In addition, he has been an opening act for Cesária Évora and has toured in China and Canada with world music vocalist Dadawa (Chinese: 朱哲琴, pinyin: Zhu Zheqin)

In 2012, Ron Korb toured to Poland to give performances in Nowy Sacz,[12] Krakow, the 11th Festival of Musical Virtuosity and Humour Fun & Classic.[13]

In 2013, He completed a 6-week Asia tour to five countries giving concerts, interview, lectures, and workshops.

In the 2014 China Shanghai International Arts Festival, Ron Korb represented Canada in the Canadian Culture Week Theme Festival, which also include Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, etc, and give concerts in the cities of Shanghai and Wuxi.[14]

Discography

  • 2015 Asia Beauty [15]
  • 2013 Europa[16]
  • 2010 Oriental Angels vs Ron Korb DVD, China
  • 2009 Once Upon A Time (龍笛傳說), Taiwan
  • 2009 Dragon Heart(龍の心), Singapore
  • 2008 Native Earth (聖靈大地), Taiwan
  • 2007 Ron Korb 龙笛-当代第一魔笛, China
  • 2006 Our Native Land
  • 2006 East West Road, Singapore
  • 2005 Rainforest Flute-Ron Korb and Ken Davis, Australia
  • 2005 Seasons: Christmas Carols – with Donald Quan
  • 2005 Ron Korb Live (Singapore)
  • 2004 Ron Korb Live DVD
  • 2004 Ron Korb Live CD
  • 2004 Celtic Quest (重返祕世界), Taiwan
  • 2003 Romancing The Dragon-The Best of Ron Korb, Singapore
  • 2003 World Of Ron Korb
  • 2002 Taming The Dragon 龍笛, Taiwan
  • 2001 Behind the Mask東方戀, Taiwan
  • 2001 Celtic Heartland 心靈祕境, Taiwan[17]
  • 2000 Celtic Heartland
  • 2000 Celtic Quest
  • 2000 Rencontre en Provence, France
  • 1999 Tapestries-Titanic Odyssey
  • 1999 Mada Minu Tomo e, Japan
  • 1999 Taming The Dragon
  • 1998 Celtic Skye
  • 1998 Natural Friends (UK)
  • 1996 Tapestries-Celtic Dawn
  • 1995 Behind The Mask
  • 1994 Flute Traveller
  • 1993 Japanese Mysteries –with Hiroki Sakaguchi
  • 1990 Tear of the Sun – with Donald Quan
  • 1989 Bach for Relaxation

Awards and recognitions

  • Nominee for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album, 2016 [18]
  • Gold Medal Winner - Best of Show, Best Instrumental Album (Asia Beauty), The Global Music Awards 2015 [19]
  • Best Album-Instrumental/Classical (Asia Beauty), Akademia Music Awards 2015 [20]
  • Best Instrumental Performance (Blue Bamboo from Album Asia Beauty), The Global Music Awards 2015 [21]
  • Silver Medal Winners - Outstanding Achievement, Chinese Crossover World Music (House of the Five Beauties from Album Asia Beauty) and Album Art/Graphics (Asia Beauty), The Global Music Awards 2015 [22]
  • Best Song-Instrumental/Ballad (Two Mountains from album Asia Beauty), Akademia Music Awards 2015 [23]
  • Finalist in the open song category (Hanoi Café from Album Asia Beauty), International Acoustic Music Awards 2015 [24]
  • Nominee on Best World Music , Toronto Independent Music Awards 2015 [25]
  • Andrew Kinghorn Scholarship (University of Toronto)
  • Best Original Composition, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)
  • Grand Prize Winner, Canadian National Exhibition
  • 2004 April Most Popular Foreign Artist, iRadio FM96.3, Taiwan
  • 2010 Finalist, Annual International Acoustic Music Awards
  • 2010 Golden Maple Award Best Artistic Achievement
  • 2012 Global Music Awards: Award of Excellence-Album, composition (St. Johann), Album Art/Graphics; Award of Merit-Acoustic Instrumental Solo Performance (St. Johann)
  • 2012 Beckett's Whisper (from Album Europa), Finalist, International Acoustic Music Awards[26]

Filmography (Music Dept)

Ron Korb's flute playing can be heard in over hundred of films and TV series,[27] including

References

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  14. ↑ [1], Canadian Culture Week, 16th China Shanghai International Arts Festival
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Additional References

External links

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