UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

I will be playing at the Lithia Artisan’s Market Holiday Fair on November 30th, from 3 pm to 5 pm.

NEWS ABOUT COMPOSING

You can hear my music in the new SOPBS series “Energy Horizons”

You can consider commissioning a musical portrait now in any configuration of instrumentation, from solo cello, to cello and piano, string quartet, or fully orchestrated. Go here to get more information.

You can support my creative efforts by helping us to build a new, powerful video-editing and recording work station here.

News about Beautiful Music In The Park

Here is how Beautiful Music In The Park evolved and some unexpected outcomes:

• The project started with the goal of creating a network of musicians playing in public parks across the country.

• Daniel initially planned to replicate his personal model of supporting himself solely through tips from passersby.

• The first musician involved in the project, Kimberly Starkey in Iowa, faced difficulties finding suitable park locations, leading to performances at an indoor market instead.

• Kimberly eventually secured a gig at a concert venue in Cedar Rapids as a result of her performances at the indoor market.

• Violinist Kathleen Strahm joined the project in Lithia Park and found success with a repertoire of popular and dancable tunes, attracting a dedicated audience.

• Daniel formed a quintet to play his compositions and arrangements, providing him with a valuable opportunity to compose and arrange for an ensemble.

• Melissa, a restaurant owner, expressed interest in having the quintet perform regularly after witnessing a concert, which led to an application and securing of a grant from the Jackson County Cultural Coalition for a pilot series of quintet concerts in the 2025 season.

• The project expanded to include a documentary about music in Lithia Park, featuring interviews with local figures and footage of various musicians.

• Funding allowed for a diverse range of musicians to perform in the park, but string players seemed to have a particular advantage in that setting.

• Daniel realized that creating a sustainable organization to support an artist-in-residence program for young cellists would require significant time and energy, potentially hindering his own compositional work.

• He also questioned whether anyone else could or would want to carry on his unique approach to music in the park.

• Daniel ultimately decided to let the project go, recognizing the need to prioritize his own creative pursuits and legacy.

Unexpected outcomes:

• Daniel did not anticipate the challenges of finding suitable public park spaces for musicians in different locations.

• The formation of a quintet provided Daniel with an unexpected opportunity to further his own musical development.

• The documentary project expanded beyond its initial scope to encompass a broader history of music in Lithia Park.

• The realization that string players seemed particularly well-suited to the park setting influenced future plans.

• Daniel’s decision to prioritize his own compositional work and let the project go was an unanticipated but necessary outcome.

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CURRENT PROJECTS

ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel Sperry is a cellist, composer, singer, songwriter, poet, spoken-word artist, street musician and community artist, living in Ashland, Oregon. He’s the creator of five albums of instrumental music, featuring his “musical portraits” - pieces composed for individuals as a touchstone for an occasion or passage in people’s lives. He also created three albums of spoken word with musical landscapes, featuring the poetry of Rumi, Kabir, William Stafford, Naomi Shihab Nye, among others, as well as his own work. He spends many hours during the warm season playing his cello in Lithia Park, and winters composing music for the soundtracks of movies, primarily his own.