Coleman Barks
Coleman Barks is a leading scholar and translator of the
13th-century Persian mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. In addition to
publishing two books of his own poetry (The Juice and Gourd Seed),
Barks has published 12 volumes of translations from Rumi and
others, and contributed to over 20 anthologies. He taught
literature at the University of Georgia for 30 years and currently
lives in Athens, Georgia. For more, see colemanbarks.com.
David Darling
"Maverick cellist” is the phrase most often assigned to
Grammy-nominated artist David Darling, but it hardly captures the
richness, diversity, breadth, and sense of humor of a man who
literally redefines the way the cello is played and the way music
is taught. His prolific collection of recordings and innovative
performance style represent an eclectic variety of musical genres.
His playful and unconventional teaching methods have helped open
the world of music and improvisation to thousands of
individuals.
David began piano lessons at the age of five and the study of
classical cello at age 10. He attended Indiana State University,
earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education. He
studied cello with internationally recognized artists/teachers
Lorne Monroe, Gilbert Reese, Fritz Magg, and Janos Starker, while
at the same time pursuing studies in music composition. He was a
scholarship student with the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors,
and studied jazz performance at Berklee School of Music in
Boston.
In the summer of 1970, Darling joined the Grammy-award winning
group the Paul Winter Consort. He made his home in Nashville,
Tennessee, where he served as assistant principal cellist with the
Nashville Symphony Orchestra and worked as a studio session player
in the Nashville recording scene. But his main focus was the
Consort, an extraordinarily progressive band. He retired from the
Paul Winter Consort in 1987 and began to explore the new
experiences of working as a solo performer, teaching, and making
recordings.
Throughout the years, Darling has collaborated with a wide variety
of international artists including: Paul Winter, Ralph Towner,
Glenn Moore, Collin Walcott, Paul McCandless, Jan Garbarek, Arild
Andersen, Paul Horn, Steve Kuhn, Terje Rypdal, Jan Christensen,
Ketil Bjornstad, Pierre Favre, Glen Velez, Bobby McFerrin, Spyro
Gyra, Allaudin Mathieu, Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai, Patrick
Leonard, Joseph Firecrow, Arlo Guthrie, John Marshall, and Baba
Olatunje. Darling's self-produced CD, Cello Blue (2001), earned
rave reviews as well as a 2002 Grammy nomination and the AFIM Indie
Award from the Association for Independent Music.
In 1986, Darling co-founded Music for People, an internationally
recognized nonprofit educational network dedicated to teaching and
fostering music improvisation as a means of creative
self-expression. Music for People's training and certification
program, now in its twenty-second year, continues to flourish in
the United States, and has recently expanded to offer seminars and
workshops at the Center for Wellbeing and Creativity in Kiental,
Switzerland. Darling has traveled extensively for over 40 years,
enthusiastically encouraging all humans to explore their musical
talents and creative abilities. He has inspired and encouraged
thousands at numerous holistic facilities and retreat centers such
as Esalen, the New York Open Center, Hollyhock, and Omega
Institute.
Since 1986, Darling has worked for Young Audiences, a National
Medal of the Arts award-winning organization dedicated to enriching
children's' lives by providing in-school programs in the form of
workshops, artist residencies, and guest performances. In 1995, he
received the Artist of the Year Award by the Board of Directors of
Young Audiences, given "in recognition of his hard work,
innovation, and creativity in the service of arts-in-education." In
2001, Darling received the Arts Advocate of the Year Award
presented by the Connecticut Music Educators Association for "his
excellent work in music education and improvisation."
Darling resides in Goshen, Connecticut, creating music in his home
studio, Camp David Recording Studios. He happily enjoys being near
his two daughters, Jessica Darling and Bonnie Shea, and his
granddaughter, Erin Latham Shea.
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