David Dacks is a Toronto-based music advocate constantly exploring new manifestations of audio expression. He became Artistic Director of the Music Gallery in January 2012 and has since produced four seasons of acclaimed, genre-bending programming. Prior to joining the Music Gallery, David was the editor of Exclaim Magazine’s coverage of jazz, R&B, reggae, experimental music, and global grooves. His work has also appeared in the Grid, CBC Music, Weird Canada, BlogTO, Paste and Musicworks. His journalism expertise has been acknowledged with appointments to both Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize juries. David was a Grand Juror for the Polaris Prize in 2011 and today is a member of the Toronto Arts Council Music Committee. David was a programmer and host at University of Toronto radio station CIUT-FM for 25 years, and produced four documentaries for CBC Radio. Further musical activities include teaching at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies and the International Academy of Art And Design, as well as years of live performance and audio recording.

The title of David's talk, Other Folks’ Music: Collaborations and Confrontations Throughout 30 Years In Music, draws inspiration from Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He will explore examples of and issues within collaboration over the course of decades of various activities in music. He will talk about successes, failures, lessons learned, and insight gained.

David Dacks @ nowtoronto.com

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