David’s sitar was for many years featured in the music introduction of Minnesota Public Radio’s World News Program, which distributed international news blocks from the BBC and CBC to public radio stations across the United States.

On the occasion of Ravi Shankar’s passing, NPR called David to interview him about sitar in the United States.

David’s endorsement of Rikhi Ram sitars is listed by premier maker Rikhi Ram under “Blessings from Legends,” along with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Shujaat Khan, and others.

David was called upon by Ustad Vilayat Khansahib to file his sitar javari (overhaul instrument sound) prior to his concert in Carnegie Hall to celebrate the bicentennial of India’s Independence.

David had a unique life long collaboration with poet Robert Bly.

David also had a continual life long collaboration with Coleman Barks, whose versions of the ancient Persian poet Rumi were for two decades the best selling poetry in the United States and influential throughout the world, selling over a million and a half copies.

David has experimented with other well known poets and writers as well, such as Jane Hirshfield, Li-Young Lee, and Matthew Fox. And accompanied psychologist James Hillman in San Francisco as he recited WB Yeats’s Crazy Jane!

Building upon a lifetime of experience accompanying poets and reciting poetry while performing with his company, David has begun giving themed programs where he recites poetry himself as he plays the sitar. As far as is known, David is the only artist ever to have performed this dual feat.

The film, William Stafford and Robert Bly: A Literary Friendship (1994), was filmed in part in my apartment. Robert called at 6am out of the blue and said, “There’s a film crew here, and Ruth won’t let them in the house. Can we come over?” A van and a film crew of three showed up and ran large cables through the front door up to my apartment. They covered the windows in black paper, knocked over my plants, and had a huge camera. William and Robert came, and Robert figured that as long as they were in my place, may as well have the sitar and tabla with the poems! Marcus Wise was called, and he came over. Robert and William recited together, and we accompanied. It was then cut out of the film. I remember William noticed my shelf of Nietzsche, and seemed interested and my impression was, that he may have liked Nietzsche. At one point they blew the power out for the entire building, and I had to call the landlord to get the power going again. In the film they did include footage that was filmed here. That’s my radiator in the film! The film has been broadcast on Public Television throughout the country many times.