Jose Ramirez
Jose Fernando Ramírez-Macías is a Colombian flutist and doctoral student at West Virginia University. His research explores flute acoustics and Colombian music. With over 20 years of performance experience, he blends classical and Latin traditions, promoting inclusive education and cultural identity through music.
Jose Fernando Ramírez-Macías is an accomplished Colombian musician and graduate student with a strong background in both academic and musical fields. He is currently pursuing two advanced degrees at West Virginia University: a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Flute Performance and a Ph.D. in Higher Education with a focus on music. He also holds a Master of Music in Flute Performance, a Master of Arts in World Languages, Linguistics, and Literature, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, all from WVU.
In Fall 2023, Ramírez-Macías was honored with the Chancellor’s Scholars Program (CSP) Fellowship, a prestigious award recognizing exceptional graduate students. He has also received numerous other awards, including the Valerie Canady Charitable Trust Foundation Scholarship (awarded multiple times) and credit waiver scholarships from WVU’s School of Music, in recognition of his academic excellence and musical achievements.
His research interests include acoustics and flute performance, specifically the study of vowel articulation in flute playing, which was published as his master’s thesis in 2019. Since 2020, he has also been researching mid-20th-century Colombian music using archival resources from EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia, where he earned his undergraduate degree. A book based on these findings is scheduled for publication by EAFIT in Spring 2026.
Ramírez-Macías began his musical journey over 20 years ago in Medellín. In 2013, he moved to Berlin, Germany, where he studied at the Schostakowitsch Musikschule in Berlin-Lichtenberg, mastered the German language, and completed a flute pedagogy and teacher training course in the Netherlands with renowned educator Anke van der Bijl. During his time in Europe, he performed chamber music, played in the Rhythm & Melody Concert Band under director Simone Münzner, and taught flute.
Upon relocating to Morgantown, West Virginia, he founded two acclaimed salsa bands: SabroSon and Los Mangos, which performed at regional festivals for over two years. Los Mangos notably toured France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and Spain in 2019. In 2020, he launched two traditional Colombian music ensembles: La Nueva Estudiantina and Espiral. Espiral toured the United States in October 2022 and June–July 2023, with performances in Pittsburgh, the Colombian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Morgantown, and Indialantic, Florida.
Deeply committed to the cultural and educational power of music, Ramírez-Macías aims to inspire greater engagement and investment in the arts. His academic focus on higher education in the arts reflects this mission. For more than six years, he has been an active contributor to the cultural life of Morgantown, regularly performing at international festivals and community events. Looking ahead, he aspires to make a lasting impact by shaping inclusive, arts-centered educational practices and fostering global appreciation for Latin American music and culture.