About Lorena

Lorena Navarro is a percussionist, educator, and composer. She performs regularly as a solo, chamber, and orchestral percussionist. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with members from Sō Percussion, Sandbox Percussion, Bang on a Can All Stars, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and the Parker Quartet. International performances include premiering new works at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and as an Artist in Residence at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.

As an educator, Lorena serves as the Visiting Assistant Instructor of Percussion at the University of Central Missouri, where she teaches private lessons, instructs the UCM marching percussion section, and coaches percussion ensemble. She has presented masterclasses and guest artist recitals at various universities on topics such as “Works by Keiko Abe” and “Exploring Modern Indigeneity in New Works for Percussion.” As a composer, Lorena explores writing for percussion and mixed chamber ensembles. She premiered her first marimba solo at the 2024 Gather Listen Hear Festival at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her snare drum solo, toe-ness, will be premiered at the 2026 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. 

As a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Lorena enjoys collaborating with other Indigenous and Native American artists. She is specifically passionate about creating a space for Indigenous voices in the percussion community. She has commissioned and collaborated with Sonny-Ray Dayrider, Danielle Jagelski, Kerey Harper, and Anjelica Lindsey to write new works for percussion. She has participated in other Indigenous led projects such as workshopping the Lingít opera, Ḵutulagaaw by Ed Littlefield. 

Lorena earned her D.M.A. and M.M. in Music Performance from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Music Education from Utah Valley University. For 9 months, Lorena was invited to study with Keiko Abe, world-renowned marimba virtuoso, at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan. By immersing herself in Japanese culture and society, Lorena has developed a deeper love and understanding of Keiko’s works. Lorena’s teachers include Gwendolyn Dease, Keiko Abe, Jon Weber, Keith Carrick, Gavin Ryan, and Alexis Lamb.