William Hoshal

A native of the Pacific Northwest, William’s musical roots began in the rich Portland, Oregon music scene and took him to the jazz and commercial worlds of the east coast. His award-winning music has been featured in jazz festivals and the concert stage both here and abroad. He relocated to the desert southwest where a lifelong fascination with indigenous music of all kinds and an interest to connect with his own distant heritage ultimately led him to add the Native American Flute to his musical language. Influenced by masters like R. Carlos Nakai, Robert Tree Cody, and Douglas Spotted Eagle, he began incorporating the traditions of the native flute into the harmonic and rhythmic structures of jazz and contemporary classical music.

While still in-demand as a composer and orchestrator, as well as jazz and session musician, William has set about focusing on the future of the Native American Flute. His compositions and improvisational explorations on this beautiful instrument have been called “Masterful…energetic, soulful, and moving” and “wonderfully
spirited.”

William was recently featured as a Rising Star at the 2007 Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival.

His Calling Rain Music debut CD, A RUMOR OF THE SUN, is a musical collage of settings focusing on the haunting voice of the Native American Flute. This ancient instrument blends itself seamlessly into the worlds of jazz, ambient, and meditative, ranging from contemplative melodies to rhythmically charged improvisations.

“A friend once told me ‘we don’t choose music; music chooses us.’ I believe this is especially true of the paths that musicians often find themselves traveling. One direction set upon can lead to many others one may never have suspected existing. My hope and intent is to continue to explore and expand the boundaries of this connection between ancient and present; and to honor those who came before by moving further down this path that music has chosen for me.”