Arts & Expression, East Asian, Music
Flautist 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 Canada.
After graduating from University of Toronto, he began composing for Hong Kong pop stars like Alan Tam, Roman Tam and Yvonne Lau with songs that reached Gold and Double Platinum sales.
He has over 30 critically acclaimed releases and reissues in 20 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. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada, United States, Central America, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Mainland China and Hong Kong.
Ron has given solo performances at: the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.; Glastonbury Festival, England; National Theatre in Panama City; Shanghai International Spring Music Festival; Century Theatre in Beijing; World Art Stage in Edinburgh; Arnhem Cathedral in the Netherlands, Expo 2005 in Nagoya, 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, Cesaria Evora and Dadawa. Ron has performed for Queen Elizabeth, the Prime Minister of Canada, Princess Takamado of Japan, Princess Bopha Devi of Cambodia, and was featured on the World Youth Day recording for Pope John Paul.
Ron was a featured soloist in The Lord of the Rings Symphony at Roy Thomson Hall and also played as a soloist a song he composed, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony, at the concert for the 2008 Olympic bid.
”Ron has played on dozens of movie soundtracks by various composers. 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 Snow Walker,’ ‘Being Julia,’ and Merchant/Ivory’s ‘The White Countess,’ starring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave. Ron played on an Emmy-winning episode of ‘World Without End’ by Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning composer Mychael Danna.
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. It was also a finalist at the 2013 International Acoustic Music Awards.
Ron Korb represented Canada at the 2014 China Shanghai International Arts Festival’s Canadian Culture Week along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Montréal Symphony. Fans voted Ron’s sold out concert at Shanghai Concert Hall as audience choice.