WERNER JOHN has long been drawn to the evocative voices of ancient wood flutes. For the last 25 years he has endeavored to follow this passion wherever it leads. Today, he can be found in his workshop designing and handcrafting flutes; in his studio working on newly composed music; or on stage exploring long lost sounds of our home planet in his Flutewalker Story Concerts. Werner's unique musical art is a blend of indigenous, classical and nature elements which can soothe the stresses of life while evoking our roots and a sense of connection to the natural world.

BEGINNINGS
Werner grew up on a hilltop in New York's beautiful Hudson River Valley. From his family's house the view in all directions was verdant farmland and wooded hills. A life changing event was finding his personal nature place... a large rock around which flowed a pristine stream, protected and hidden in the deep green of hemlocks. Here even as a 10-year-old he felt mysteriously connected to something ancient and beautiful.

FIRST FLUTE
Upon entering a new school Werner was given a small wooden recorder. It was love at first breath. His 7th grade class had played these instruments for years and within two weeks Werner caught up. Development of this unusual aptitude later helped him gain admission to some great schools: Phillips Exeter and Amherst College.

HUMAN / NATURE
At age 17 Werner attended an Outward Bound course in the North Cascades wilderness. The stupendous rugged beauty captured his heart. One day the hike passed a copper mine and smelter in the midst of the wilderness... an unforgettable, unforgivable scar on the pristine land that became a lifelong reminder of the ugly side of human enterprise.

EARLY MUSIC
Upon moving to North Carolina in his twenties Werner took up the recorder again and soon was teaching woodwinds privately and performing with a local group, "Going Baroque". He finished his BA majoring in music at Warren Wilson College, a small school with strong environmental and multicultural values.

During 1986-1988 Werner organized Baroque instrumental concerts in Western N.C., from flute and guitar duos to larger events featuring chamber concertos. During this period he also began recording his and others' music with early digital technology and in 1988 co-founded the Early Light Music label with guitarist and lutenist Robert Anders. The young company's first recordings, Early Light and Christmas Past, were successful, each selling over 50,000 copies.

EAGLE FLUTE
Music and nature, so long in parallel, began to dance together for Werner John when he discovered the Native American flute in 1991. Here was an instrument much like the recorder which also embodied a rich connection with the American landscape... perfect!

After moving back to Massachusetts Werner purchased several Native flutes. The first to arrive was made by Ken Light, flutemaker for R. Carlos Nakai. Upon opening the package Werner found a cedar flute with a profile of an eagle as the "bird". He tried out the flute for several hours, realizing that although the scale was easy it would take some time to learn a new musical dialect. Then he went for a walk.

Deep in the woods Werner suddenly heard a loud piercing cry. A magnificent bird took flight and landed in a lone tree not far down a steep hill. There silhouetted against the setting sun was an eagle.... which remained for several minutes before majestically gliding away.

FLUTES & ROOTS
This resonant beginning foreshadowed a rich exploration of Native American flutes and music for Werner John. He has now sold over 1000 of his unique handcarved Native style flutes and a quarter million acclaimed CDs, mostly to individuals at shows and festivals around the Northeast US.

Always looking for the next step, Werner realized that his work would be an exploration of how music can help heal the human/human and human/nature gaps in our culture, and he has widened his skills to encompass the historical wood flutes of many lands.

In 2008 Werner introduced three totally unique "World Flute Story Concerts" which blend performance on ancient flutes with the story of the human journey as researched by National Geographic's Genographic Project.

These three performance programs are focused on: the ethnic flutes themselves and their music;  the long view of human history as key to understanding current environmental problems; and a new way to see the Thanksgiving holiday. The 2011 brochure has more information on these inspiring, thought-provoking musical programs.