RON DROTOS

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 of Connecticut, 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 Music Director 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 the Fairbanks 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 he 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 Piano Improvisation is available on Amazon.

After 20 years of helping students from ages 5-85 learn to improvise fluently, I decided to go “online” with KeyboardImprov.com in 2012. My goal is to give you the personal attention of in-person piano lessons along with an extensive, step-by-step video course. I’m pleased to say that I have now students all over the wold, in countries such as England, the Czech Republic, Ireland, South Africa, Greece, China, the Philippines, and the United States.