Gilad Ronen New York, NY

Born and raised in Israel, he started playing piano at age 8 and began his lifelong love affair with music. Upon picking up his first alto saxophone at age 12, the dream took form and his playing took off. Tenor saxophone and guitar came the following year, and at 14, he started his formal training in composition and jazz at the Thelma Yalin School of the Arts in Tel Aviv. Besides his formal training, a great deal of influence on his musical development was the Moroccan cantor singing he heard many times in the synagogue and especially of his grandfather who was a respectable rabbi. While in high school, Mr. Ronen honed his musical abilities playing professionally with well known Israeli artists such as Gidi Gov, Yoram Gaon, Idan Reychal and many others. He also became active in the Hacidic and Middle Eastern scenes, sharpening and diversifying his skills alongside artists such as Shimi Tavori, Nansie Brandes and others. When not playing professionally, he was teaching music at middle and high schools, just as he continues to do today.

At the young age of 16, a scholarship to the 5-week summer program at Berklee College of Music brought him to America, where he promptly wowed the faculty there, becoming just the 3rd Israeli to earn a full ride. In 1999, Mr. Ronen received a full scholarship to attend the Berklee College of music in Boston where he earned his Composition and Performance degree along with numerous awards for achievement and musicianship. During his tenure there he focused on his creative side, completing his first symphonic piece and performing on the Boston scene with Tiger Okoshi, Hip Pocket Orchestra, Mango Blue, and many others.

Deeply affected by his experience with jazz and its American heritage, Mr. Ronen capitalized on his opportunities to learn from the legends, and has fused jazz, Moroccan, classical and world music traditions to create a fresh, unique sound. This spawned the creation of his own band, Na-A-Na, a talented group of musicians from a diverse range of background. Performing Mr. Ronen’s original compositions and headlining numerous shows throughout United States, Na-A-Na combined the ethnic elements of world music and jazz, bringing out the unique sound that he has pioneered.

As Mr. Ronen’s talents increasingly caught the jazz community’s interest, Los Angeles came calling in the form of a scholarship to the prestigious Masters program at the Thelonius Monk Institute. One of an elite six selected from hundreds of musicians by jazz legends Terrence Blachard, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter, he left Boston to share his talents with the West Coast.

Since his arrival on the L.A scene Mr. Ronen has performed with many known local artists and recorded music for current feature films such as “Duplex” and “Raise Your voice.” Never settling for the known, he has also refined his talents as a composer, studying under artists such as Vince Mendoza, Russell Ferrante and Alan Broadband, as well as sequencing and writing the symphonic parts of Na-A-Na’s latest album.

Very recently Gilad has moved to the Big apple were he is already started to make appearences performing along side well known jazz artists such as:Mike stern, Richard Bona, Roy Hargrove, Robert Glasper, and others. As his talent and expertise grow, Gilad Ronen is truly multi cultural. Aside from taking a part in a wide range of music projects, he continues his quest as a forerunner of the developing Israeli sound, confident that he will one day stand among the legends of the music and sound he helped create.

He continues to produce, record and compose from his home studio in New York City.