Great Performers Scheduled For 2025
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Shelley Morningsong and Fabian Fontenelle
2016 Native American Music Awards “Artist of the Year”! Grammy Member, ASCAP Member, Shelley Morningsong (N. Cheyenne/Dutch) has recorded five sensational Native American, Contemporary albums and has emerged as one of New Mexico’s finest Native performers.. Morningsong has received four Native American music awards, among other awards and accolades, including Native American Music Awards “Record of the Year” for 2011 (Full Circle).
Shelley’s husband and musical partner Fabian Fontenelle (Zuni/Omaha) adds a breathtaking and beautiful element to their performance with his traditional northern plains style dancing, storytelling and drumming. Fabian is an original member of the American Indian Dance Theater. Shelley and Fabian live on the reservation of Zuni Pueblo in Southern New Mexico where Fabian was born and raised.
Jonny Lipford
Jonny Lipford is an award-winning musician specializing in the music produced with Native American flutes and a variety of world flutes. His music embodies characteristics of new age music joined with a touch of pop, resulting in the listener feeling relaxed and uplifted. His mission is to create and compose music that highlights the Native American flute while pushing its boundaries and making it more accessible to audiences of diverse backgrounds.
Billy Whitefox
Native American Billy Whitefox is a Southeastern Muskogee Creek and a national champion flute maker and flautist. Billy makes old style river cane flutes. He is a self-taught silversmith preserving his heritage through his music and arts.
As a Florida State Commissioner for Human Relations, he shares stories of his culture at schools, colleges, churches and prisons. He is requested by museums and school to educate children and adults about his Indian heritage and the art of his music, flutes and jewelry.
Billy’s first CD, “Sacred Journey,” was an international hit, touching the hearts and lives of many.
Ed Winddancer
Ed is very proud to be a Veteran serving with the 25th Infantry Division. In 1975, while stationed in Hawaii, he became president of a Native American Dance Troupe and was instrumental in starting some of the very first Pow Wows in Hawaii.
Ed is a respected educator who is proud of his Nanticoke heritage. A gifted player of the Native American flute, and also a respected traditional dancer, Ed has performed for audiences throughout the United States and Europe, and has dedicated his life to preserving his culture through the art of music, dance and education. He has served as Head Man and kids day educator at many powwows throughout the East Coast.
In Ed’s unique and one of a kind performance, you will experience the history and rich sounds of the American Indian flute, and receive a rare opportunity to experience authentic traditional American Indian dance. He teaches about his heritage, culture, and explains in detail, his traditional attire along with its history and significance. He has captivated thousands with his 2 popular albums: Breath of My Soul, and Dragonfly Medicine.
He performed many, many years with his grandmother, Kay Taylor. She always ended their performance by saying: “Walk softly upon this grandmother…live each day as if it were your last…and above all, enjoy the journey, the destination is the same. Aho”
Dock Green
Dock Green Silverhawk’s life was forever changed when a near-death experience and vision led him to the Native American flute. A year later he began using the flute in the same hospital as a chaplain and uses the medicine of the flute and power of prayer in the Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Tampa General Hospital.
His ministry has been featured on local Tampa Bay television NBC, CBS, FoxTV, PBS and national NBC NEWS. Dock has the distinction of being the first place winner of the flute playing competition of the first Musical Echoes. The second year he was asked to be the chaplain and a judge at these competitions and still serves in this capacity now. Dock was voted “Artist of the Year” for 2009 by the Greater Brandon Arts Council, the first Native American and the first non-visual artist to win this award.
Poarch Creek POWWOW Club
The Poarch Creek Indians are descendents of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around the reservation in Poarch, Alabama. The reservation is located eight miles northwest of Atmore, Alabama in rural Escambia County, and 57 miles east of Mobile.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Indian Tribe in the state of Alabama, operating as a sovereign nation with its own system of government and bylaws. The Tribe operates a variety of economic enterprises, which employ hundreds of area residents. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is an active partner in the state of Alabama, contributing to economic, educational, social and cultural projects benefiting both tribal members and residents of these local communities and neighboring towns.
Gareth
Gareth Laffely is a 24-year-old composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer from Gallatin, Tennessee just outside of Nashville, whose music has been licensed by the Discovery Channel, A&E Network, NASCAR, and Public Television. An award winning Native American Flute player and composer, Gareth is of Mi’kmaq/Cree descent. Remarkably talented well beyond his years, Gareth has been touching lives and moving souls all over the world. He is the youngest performer to reach #2 on the Billboard New Age Music Top 100 charts for his 3rd CD, Sky Before a Storm, and was also #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. His CD project, “Voices of the Guardians”, features Oscar winning Native American actor Wes Studi (Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, Avatar, and Hostiles), and Emmy Award winning producer Lance Bendiksen and was recorded with George Lucas’s Sky Walker Symphony at SkyWalker Ranch in Marin, CA. A companion film featuring Gareth, called “Spirit Song” has been released on GOUSA network and Roku TV. “Voices of the Guardians” also reached #2 on Billboard’s New Age charts. Gareth’s music has been featured in award winning documentary films, including The Peace Corp’s “Towering Task”, “The Contested Plains”, and in the feature film, “Black Wood”.
Jeff Ball
Jeff Ball’s Native American flute music is a captivating blend of tradition and innovation. Drawing inspiration from the rich heritage of indigenous music, Jeff’s compositions often incorporate elements of storytelling, spiritual reverence, and natural soundscapes.
His playing is characterized by a lyrical and expressive style, with a focus on the flute’s unique tonal qualities.
Jeff has also experimented with incorporating contemporary influences into his music, collaborating with other musicians and exploring new sonic territories. This fusion of old and new has resulted in a unique and captivating sound that resonates with audiences of all ages. Jeff’s music has been praised for its ability to evoke a sense of peace, tranquility, and connection to nature, making it a popular choice for relaxation, meditation, and spiritual reflection.
Mark Holland
Mark Holland started the project, Autumn’s Child in 1995. He began his publishing and recording label, Cedar n Sage Music in 1997. He recorded and released 25 cds from that time through 2018. Holland has a BA in Music from the University of Missouri where he studied with two members of the Saint Louis Symphony. On his recordings and in performance he showcased the Native American style flute and various world flutes. He covered all the ranges of native flutes in composition not often used by other contemporary artists. His music blends various styles (genre bending) and includes unique instrumentation. The music received a number of awards throughout the years in a variety of categories. Holland had been a featured artist at numerous Native American Flute Festivals and World Flute Festivals among others. While he no longer tours or records his own works, he may appear on occasion in concert or at a select festival or as a guest on a recording project. His music can be heard on a variety of online radio stations worldwide, as well as Sirius/XM radio and Echoes, PRI, JPR and NPR stations and Hearts Of Space to name a few. The music has also been played on Frontier, Jet Blue, Air Tran airlines and other domestic and international airlines.
Rona Yellow Robe
Rona Yellow Robe is a Cree and African American woman, born and raised in Havre, Montana, and an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rock Boy, Montana. Rona picked up her first flute in 2002 and has been on a musical and spiritual journey ever since. Rona is known for her powerful vocal ability, Native American flute style, storytelling talents and heart-filled presence.
Rona Yellow Robe and Bruce Witham have been creating music together since May 2008. They have recorded four award winning albums, “Voice of the Trees” (2009), “The Gathering” (2012) a Christmas album titled “Lighting our Way” (2013), “Shoot for the Moon” (2016), and most recently, their fifth album, “Sunday’s Child”.
Along with winning Native American Music Awards 2014 and 2016 Flutist of the Year, Rona and Bruce received the Native American Music Awards nomination as Songwriters of the Year & Debut Artist for their album and song, “Voice of the Trees”. Their album, “The Gathering” was nominated for Record of the Year, and won Flutist of the Year, and she also received a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Timothy JP Gomez
Award-winning musician Timothy J.P. Gomez is a composer, performer, and educator of the Native American Style Flute. Timothy integrates world music with the depth and emotional impact of the Romantic Era to reflect his awe of nature and aptitude for immense empathy. Human connection and kinship with the Earth are reoccurring themes in his music, and his heartfelt melodies capture the imagination and transport the listener to another world. Timothy’s technical abilities impart a fluidity and intricacy to his music and spur his creativity to produce a playing style recognizable as distinctly his own.
Timothy grew up in the desert landscape on the outskirts of El Paso, TX, where he fell in love with the Native Flute and the dreamlike terrain beyond his door. After playing privately for friends and family for many years, Timothy was finally convinced to share his gift with the world. In 2014, Timothy released his debut album, The Awakening, an acoustic Native Style Flute album focused on his wanderings through nature and self-reflection on life’s trials and triumphs. His album received 2 nominations at the Indian Summer Music Awards, with his song “Sacred Saguaro” securing the 2015 win in its category.
Currently, Timothy performs at festivals and concerts throughout the USA. He also offers one-on-one private online sessions assisting others in expanding their skill level on the Native American Style Flute. During events, Timothy holds workshops and offers private lessons, where he has been privileged to assist many flute players on their musical pursuits. He continues his mission to inspire conservation and a love of adventure through his musical compositions.