Dante Flores

After being inspired by Earl Scruggs and Don Reno at a very young age, Dante Flores took his first banjo lesson when he was eight years old. Since then, he continues to find inspiration in a variety of different artists such as Sonny Osborne, J.D Crowe, Scott Joplin, and Emile Grimshaw, to name a few. 

At ten years old, Dante has gone from playing his 5th grade graduation ceremony, to finding himself on a much larger stage. Introduced by Béla Fleck at the 2022 Blue Ridge Banjo Camp Concert, Dante performed Joe Morley’s manuscript solo, “Walk Round”.  

Dante was the youngest to perform at the 11th Annual Van Wert Bluegrass Festival, where he was awarded the “Big Mike” Dean Scholarship. He is also a recipient of the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Association scholarship.  

Dante lives in Michigan with his mother, father, and little brother. He is a dedicated student of bluegrass and classic banjo and has also started learning to play the violin. In addition to being an aspiring young banjoist, Dante is an avid chess player and Rubik’s cube aficionado.