David LaMotte

David LaMotte is an award-winning songwriter, speaker, and author. The Boston Globe writes that his music “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition,” while BBC Radio Belfast lauds his “charm, stories, humor, insightful songs, sweet voice, and dazzling guitar ability.” A veteran of twelve CDs and over 3000 concerts on five continents, he suspended his music career in 2008 to accept a Rotary World Peace Fellowship and obtain a Master’s degree in International Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. As part of that degree, he also spent three months in rural Andhra Pradesh, India working with a Gandhian development organization.

He returned to a dense calendar of concerts and speaking engagements, as well as supporting PEG Partners, a non-profit organization he co-founded with his wife in 2004 to support arts and education projects in Guatemala. He also served for six years on the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee, four of those as its Clerk (chairperson). He has written three books, and spoken at venues all over the world, including the Scottish Parliament and the PC(USA) mission to the United Nations, and Columbia Seminary, as a baccalaureate speaker. His next book, tentatively titled, “Harmony: What Music Can Teach Us About Peace Work,” is based on his TED talk. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA, with his wife, teenaged son, and six backyard chickens.