RON DROTOS
Music Director | Arranger | Pianist
Ron Drotos is equally comfortable as a pianist, composer, and arranger, and enjoys many genres of music including jazz, blues, pop and rock. In 1985, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition from The University o fConnecticut, where he studied with Hale Smith. During this time, Ron studied jazz piano with Dr. Billy Taylor, Walter Bishop, Jr., Harold Danko, and Ellen Rowe. From 1987-88, Ron worked as assistant to the baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, and then began to pursue a music career of his own.
After moving to New York City in 1989, Ron served as Associate MusicDirector and created orchestrations for the Broadway musical Swinging On A Star, which received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Musical in 1995. Additional Broadway credits include Smokey Joe’s Café, The Life, and Fosse. Ron has orchestrated for the New York Pops Orchestra, with whom he has appeared several times at Carnegie Hall. He has been featured as Music Director on the 92nd St. Y’s famed “Lyrics and Lyricists” series, and has performed with vocalists Julius LaRosa, Judy Collins, Brian Stokes Mitchell,Nell Carter, and Giacomo Gates. In addition, Ron has taught in Alaska at theFairbanks Summer Arts Festival annually since 1999, and has been inducted into the festival’s Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Ron created the KeyboardImprov.com website, through which helps beginning to advanced pianists all over the world learn how to improvise with a sense of joy and fluency. His book The Inner World of PianoImprovisation is available on Amazon.