Celtic harpist David Michael is an international performer, recording artist, composer, producer, author and multi-instrumentalist. A pioneer of World Fusion music and teacher of free-form improvisation, he seeks the common ground between many genres and has performed and recorded with many master ethnic musicians and members of major symphonies. 

Since 1990 he has resided in Port Townsend where he operates his independent recording label Purnima Productions. To date he has produced 25 CDs of original music—from lively ensemble works to ambient relaxation music—as a solo artist and in collaboration with many other artists such as Nancy Rumbel, Benjy Wertheimer, Steve Gorn, Jami Sieber, Michael Mandrell, Gwen Franz, Mark Eubanks, the late Randy Mead and many more. His CDs have received rave reviews and his music has been featured on syndicated radio shows, cable & network television, documentaries and in nature films. 

Please explore the Recordings section of this website where you will find some 20 CDs comprising over 200 original compositions available for purchase or license.

David grew up in Seattle and has been playing stringed instruments most of his life. He studied cello and piano as a child, gravitated to guitar as a teenager and went on to become a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He later studied Flamenco guitar, played Lebanese pop tunes on a Greek bouzouki in a belly dance troupe and collaborated with master musicians from India. He took up viola-da-gamba, psalteries, zithers and other harp-like instruments before eventually realizing he'd been "trying to make a guitar sound like a harp" for years. In 1983 he discovered his forte, the Celtic harp, which most of his original compositions since then are based upon. 

He became somewhat of an institution for his impromptu harp concerts aboard Washington State Ferries. He played regularly on the Whidbey Island/Port Townsend run for 17 years until “homeland security” concerns capsized his busking stint there in 2007 to the dismay of his many fans and his saga touched off an international media storm. He has also toured Europe, performing in castles, cultural centers and as a busker in the walking streets of Scandinavia. His travelogue is documented in his book: Busker – Tales of a Renegade Harpist. 

David currently performs in formal concerts, for multimedia book signings and is available for weddings, banquets, production and session work. His recordings are available for license with a library of over 200 pieces.