Growing up in Louisville, Jason De La Rosa was aware that his ancestry included both Cherokee and Apache contributions, but he knew little of his heritage beyond that. He sometimes attended pow-wows with his family, though, and it was at one of those events that he first heard the Indian flute being played. He recalls being awestruck by the performance, astonished that such an incredibly beautiful sound could be created by a man.
As his interest in his Native American heritage grew, and with the encouragement of his family and friends, Jason decided to learn to play the flute. Although he had no prior musical training, within a year he was performing in public.
Jason has gone on to perform at pow-wows, festivals, and Native American gatherings throughout the eastern United States. He also uses his flutes to help teach Native culture and history to schoolchildren.
For In Performance, Jason performs several of his own haunting compositions. You can hear more of his music on a CD he recently cut.
