John Sarantos

Bonnie: John, I met you several years ago at the Renaissance of the Native American Flute and was very impressed with your teaching abilities and your talent for helping students at all skill levels.   How long have you been playing the Native American Flute? 

John: I have been teaching flute for about 17 years and playing for about 4 years.

Bonnie: How does that work?

John: I started my flute journey 17 years ago and discovered that I enjoyed sharing my knowledge of the flute with other folks more than I did playing for other people. About five years ago, I made a choice to start performing to share the music that I was creating.

Bonnie: What was your first concert like?

John: I remember it quite well. It was in my hometown of Midland, Michigan. I had helped start the Chippewa Valley Flute Circle there and several members were in the audience, along with my mother. I came from the back of the auditorium playing my flute with one hand and shaking a rattle with the other hand. The rattle sounded awesome, but my flute playing sounded really terrible. When I got on stage, I realized that I had skipped covering the first hole and started on the second hole instead which ended up being quite a humbling experience.

 Bonnie: When did you first hear flute music?

John: I was visiting my mother who was 84 at the time. She used to listen to the PBS radio show, Musical Echoes, most Sunday mornings. She would turn up the sound whenever Peter Kater’s and R. Carlos Nakai’s music was playing. I really felt a connection to the music.

Bonnie: Did you ever see Kater and Nakai perform in concert?

John: Many times, but the first time was incredible.

Bonnie: What made it so incredible?

John: The concert was at a three-fourths enclosed performing area at Navy Pier in Chicago. Their flight was late, and their equipment did not get to the stage in time to set up. The concert was almost 2 hours late starting. Kater and Nakai came out, sat on the edge of the stage, and talked to everyone for about 10 minutes, winning over any audience member who was aggravated by the late start. This made a big impression on me. I also learned a lot by watching the two of them “dance” together as they played. At one point, they both looked up at each other with smiles on their faces. After the song, they said, “Where did that come from?” Yes, after months of doing concerts together, they still allowed new musical experiences to happen during their performances. That impressed me. By the way, part of that night’s performance ended-up on the recording, Improvisations In Concert.

Bonnie: Was The Renaissance of the Native American Flute the first flute event of that nature you attended?

John: Actually,  the night after the Navy Pier concert, Nakai was giving a lecture on Native American music at the Old Town School of Folk Music. After that lecture, I knew that I wanted to study with him at his week long RNAF workshop in Montana.

Bonnie: What happened at the lecture that made you feel that way?

John: There were about 75 folks in the audience. Immediately, someone asked Nakai to please play a song. He said, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” A little while later, someone else asked the same question and once again Nakai answered, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” A few people got up and left. The same question popped up again, with the same reply, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” At 9:30 there were about 35 people remaining. Nakai looked at his watch and said, “It is 9:30. The lecture is over. Is it ok if I play for awhile?” He then proceeded to play a thirty minute concert. Something inside me told me that I would find a way to attend his flute workshop in Montana that he mentioned during his lecture.

Bonnie: And you obviously did.

John: Yes, although it was a tougher decision than I thought it would be.

Bonnie: Why is that?

John: I had to choose paying around one-thousand dollars to go to RNAF or go to Japan free for two weeks as part of an exchange program with the elementary school where I was teaching at the time. I chose RNAF.

Bonnie: How many times have you been to RNAF?

John: I started as a participant in 1996 and in 1999 I became the third facilitator along side of Ken Light of Amon Olorin Flutes and R. Carlos Nakai. I am scheduled to attend the 20th Anniversary of RNAF in August of 2012, which marks my 16th year at the workshop.

Bonnie: Who were your main flute mentors?

John: Ken Light and R. Carlos Nakai were my first teachers. Charles Littleleaf and Hawk LittleJohn were my two main mentors.

Bonnie: What one main example of knowledge did you learn from Charles and Hawk?

John: Charles taught me that every song should tell a musical story with a beginning, middle, and end. Thus, each of my musical pieces has a sp - From Voice of the Wind, Volume 4, 2011(italicized) Copyright © International Native American Flute

Bonnie: John, I met you several years ago at the Renaissance of the Native American Flute and was very impressed with your teaching abilities and your talent for helping students at all skill levels.   How long have you been playing the Native American Flute? 

John: I have been teaching flute for about 17 years and playing for about 4 years.

Bonnie: How does that work?

John: I started my flute journey 17 years ago and discovered that I enjoyed sharing my knowledge of the flute with other folks more than I did playing for other people. About five years ago, I made a choice to start performing to share the music that I was creating.

Bonnie: What was your first concert like?

John: I remember it quite well. It was in my hometown of Midland, Michigan. I had helped start the Chippewa Valley Flute Circle there and several members were in the audience, along with my mother. I came from the back of the auditorium playing my flute with one hand and shaking a rattle with the other hand. The rattle sounded awesome, but my flute playing sounded really terrible. When I got on stage, I realized that I had skipped covering the first hole and started on the second hole instead which ended up being quite a humbling experience.

 Bonnie: When did you first hear flute music?

John: I was visiting my mother who was 84 at the time. She used to listen to the PBS radio show, Musical Echoes, most Sunday mornings. She would turn up the sound whenever Peter Kater’s and R. Carlos Nakai’s music was playing. I really felt a connection to the music.

Bonnie: Did you ever see Kater and Nakai perform in concert?

John: Many times, but the first time was incredible.

Bonnie: What made it so incredible?

John: The concert was at a three-fourths enclosed performing area at Navy Pier in Chicago. Their flight was late, and their equipment did not get to the stage in time to set up. The concert was almost 2 hours late starting. Kater and Nakai came out, sat on the edge of the stage, and talked to everyone for about 10 minutes, winning over any audience member who was aggravated by the late start. This made a big impression on me. I also learned a lot by watching the two of them “dance” together as they played. At one point, they both looked up at each other with smiles on their faces. After the song, they said, “Where did that come from?” Yes, after months of doing concerts together, they still allowed new musical experiences to happen during their performances. That impressed me. By the way, part of that night’s performance ended-up on the recording, Improvisations In Concert.

Bonnie: Was The Renaissance of the Native American Flute the first flute event of that nature you attended?

John: Actually,  the night after the Navy Pier concert, Nakai was giving a lecture on Native American music at the Old Town School of Folk Music. After that lecture, I knew that I wanted to study with him at his week long RNAF workshop in Montana.

Bonnie: What happened at the lecture that made you feel that way?

John: There were about 75 folks in the audience. Immediately, someone asked Nakai to please play a song. He said, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” A little while later, someone else asked the same question and once again Nakai answered, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” A few people got up and left. The same question popped up again, with the same reply, “Last night was the concert, tonight is the lecture and the lecture goes until 9:30.” At 9:30 there were about 35 people remaining. Nakai looked at his watch and said, “It is 9:30. The lecture is over. Is it ok if I play for awhile?” He then proceeded to play a thirty minute concert. Something inside me told me that I would find a way to attend his flute workshop in Montana that he mentioned during his lecture.

Bonnie: And you obviously did.

John: Yes, although it was a tougher decision than I thought it would be.

Bonnie: Why is that?

John: I had to choose paying around one-thousand dollars to go to RNAF or go to Japan free for two weeks as part of an exchange program with the elementary school where I was teaching at the time. I chose RNAF.

Bonnie: How many times have you been to RNAF?

John: I started as a participant in 1996 and in 1999 I became the third facilitator along side of Ken Light of Amon Olorin Flutes and R. Carlos Nakai. I am scheduled to attend the 20th Anniversary of RNAF in August of 2012, which marks my 16th year at the workshop.

Bonnie: Who were your main flute mentors?

John: Ken Light and R. Carlos Nakai were my first teachers. Charles Littleleaf and Hawk LittleJohn were my two main mentors.

Bonnie: What one main example of knowledge did you learn from Charles and Hawk?

John: Charles taught me that every song should tell a musical story with a beginning, middle, and end. Thus, each of my musical pieces has a sp - From Voice of the Wind, Volume 4, 2011(italicized) Copyright © International Native American Flute