We are pleased to welcome Native Flutist Darren Thompson to Mooningwaanekaaning to perform at the Native Arts Registry Reception Saturday June 8, 2019 from 4 PM to 7 PM.

Darren Thompson is an educator, public speaker, journalist, and Native American flute player from the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Indian Reservation in Northern Wisconsin.  He has spent most of his adult life serving communities through leadership development, American Indian cultural awareness workshops, and the arts.His career as an American Indian musician began with a burning curiosity of a nearly lost instrument – the Native American flute – while an undergraduate at Marquette University. Within a short time he became a sought-after concert musician who shared both traditional American Indian flute songs as well as his original compositions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. He has shared the stage with many award-winning musicians, artists, and talents giving him the inspiration to thrive as an artist.

His dedication to the preservation of American Indian music has taken him to some of North America’s most prominent American Indian organizations and events, including the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the National Indian Education Association, the National Congress of American Indians, the North American Indigenous Games, America’s largest American Indian cultural festival, many universities, organizations, communities, and has recently began to share his talents internationally.

In 2009 Darren released his debut album, “The Song of Flower: Native American Songs from Ojibwe Country,” with Bear Tracks Digital Media, an American Indian owned production label.

In 2015, Darren released his second album “Between Earth and Sky: Native American Flute Music Recorded in the Black Hills,” with Drumhop Productions, an American Indian production label well-known in Indian Country that produces the annual Gathering of Nations Powwow CD and many others from throughout Turtle Island. Early in its release, Between Earth and Sky has received acclaim from media and professionals supporting the album’s intent – to preserve history. From the album’s success, Darren was awarded an artist-in-residence opportunity with the world’s largest monument, the Crazy Horse National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Crazy Horse Memorial, Summer Concert Series 2016

Early in 2016, Darren was awarded a national business leadership award from the First People’s Fund, a national arts organization supporting established artists throughout Indian Country. In addition to his award, Darren was chosen to open for the Gathering of Nations Powwow, which is North America’s largest powwow, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to tens of thousands of people. He joined the former Native American Music Award Group of the Year Brulé in the summer months as an opening act, giving Darren the opportunity to share his culture and music with people from all over the world in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Highly acclaimed for his genuine sound, Darren earned a nomination from the Native American Music Awards for “Flutist of the Year” in 2016 for his album “Between Earth and Sky”!