Celtic harpist David Michael specializes in original, romantic world-fusion music and improvisation. He grew up in Seattle and has been playing stringed instruments for over 50 years, starting with cello. In 1983, he realized he'd been "trying to make a guitar sound like a harp" for many years until finally deciding to get a harp which quickly became his forte. He usually is found performing solo or or in a duo, or collaborating in various ensembles.

A multi-instrumentalist, David is also proficient on guitar, viola-da-gamba, zither, psaltery, bouzouki and more. He was a founding member of the Seattle based world-fusion ensemble WIND in 1975, which received arts grants, performed widely in the Pacific Northwest and was featured on numerous radio and television programs. While actively composing, he began experimenting with free-form improvisations, collaborating with dancers and artists in myriad interdisciplinary activities in a wide range of styles.

David spent most of the '80s in the San Francisco bay area, collaborating with numerous ethnic music masters and his studio recording work came into focus there. His first CD, Petals in the Stream, was released in 1986 in Japan by Nippon Phonogram and he has recorded for many other domestic and foreign labels since then. He now has 18 CDs of his original music published on his own Purnima label and has been a guest artist for numerous other labels. His music has been featured extensively on PRI's 'Echoes' program, NPR, cable and network television and videos internationally.

In 1990 he moved to Port Townsend where he operates his independent record label Purnima Productions. Over the next 17 years he became something of an institution for his impromptu concerts aboard Washington State Ferries, performing free concerts for over 50,000 visitors a year. Recently, he and Randy Mead have been creating musical scores and custom soundtracks for DVDs and various media. David still performs widely on harp in the Western U.S. and Northern Europe. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest is key to his musical inspiration.

http://www.purnimaproductions.com/biography.htm

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