Welcome to One World Music & Gary Muszynski
Adventures in Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Wellbeing, and Community
Current Project
The Journey Home
Songs of Longing & Belonging
The Journey Home (Songs of Longing & Belonging) is the fourth studio album by percussionist, composer, and producer Gary Muszynski on the One World Music label.
This innovative healing global soundscape offers 10 songs featuring 20 master musicians from 9 countries: Brazil, the United States, France, Morocco, Mali, Denmark, India, Switzerland, and Portugal.
The album’s diverse instrumentation features cello, violin, bass, guimbri, ngoni, kora, e-bow guitar, pedal steel guitar, voice, flutes, trombone, piano, clarinets, glockenspiel, tabla, handpan, and world percussion.
Available now to sample, stream, or download:
“The Journey Home is a meditation on what musicians do when they find common ground. The result is a tremendously satisfying expression, flowing harmoniously through the river of time and space to a sea of musical diversity. The wide variety of musical languages and textures woven together took this listener on a cosmic trip, a continuous free-flowing and harmonizing dialogue of souls reaching out to acknowledge and celebrate each other’s uniqueness. Organizing, conducting, recording, mixing, and mastering such an album is a massive undertaking, and The Journey Home is masterfully done, capturing a deep mood that is sustained from beginning to end.”
– Jamey Haddad, Percussionist for Paul Simon
In Sept. 2024, The Journey Home was awarded the coveted gold medal at the Global Music Awards
20 Musicians | 9 Countries | 10 Songs
‘The Journey Home’ Contributing Artists
Daniel Berkman | kora
David Worm | voice
Ed Littlefield | pedal steel
Evan Fraser | ebow guitar
Frank Martin | piano
Gary Muszynski | percussion
Jaques Morelenbaum | cello
Joey Blake | voice
Kai Eckhardt | bass
Mads Tolling | violin
Mamadou Sidibe | ngoni
Michele Walter | violin
Natalie Cressman | trombone
Rob Reich | glockenspiel
Samir LanGus | guimbri
Sheldon Brown | clarinets
Sofia Ribeiro | voice
Teco Cardosa | flutes
Varijashree Venugopal | voice + flute
Yves Carbonne | bass
Praise from Acclaimed Artists & Thought Leaders
“When I listen to this album, my nervous system relaxes.”
— Ivy Ross, Co-author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us
“Beautiful spiritual modal music!”
– Hamilton de Holanda, Brazilian Mandolin Virtuoso
“… Mesmerizing and transcendent melodies and rhythms.”
– Brian L. Davis, Percussionist, Pink Martini
Gary Muszynski
Gary is an award-winning percussionist, composer, bandleader, recording artist and producer. He creates genre-defying, original music that combines world folk traditions and classical elements, all infused with an improvisational sensibility. He calls it Global Medicine Music.
He’s performed and recorded with some of the great musical luminaries of our times including Bobby McFerrin, legendary Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, cellist and co-founder of the Turtle Island Quartet, Mark Summer, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, Indian classical raga-meets-jazz vocalist, Varijashree Venugopal, bassist Kai Eckhardt (John McLaughlin), trombonist Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band), violinist Mads Tolling (Stanley Clark, Bobby Weir), pianist Frank Martin (Sting), and cellist Jaques Morelenbaum (Caetano, Gismonti). Venues include the Freight and Salvage, SF Jazz, TEDxBerkeley, TEDxMarin, Wisdom 2.0, Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, and Peri Park in Fairfax.
Gary is also a pioneer of personal and organizational transformation who bridges the worlds of business, the arts, education, and well-being. He is a leadership coach, a team-building catalyst, a designer and facilitator of multi-sensory learning experiences, and a two-time TEDx presenter.
His work is influenced by neuroscience research and how it can be applied to learning, collaboration and creativity. He is the founder of Orchestrating Excellence, a global firm that combines music with other creative engagement experiences to cultivate emotional/social intelligence in leaders and greater harmony across teams and organizations.
Email Gary to book him as solo artist or as duet, trio, quartet, or in large ensemble combinations.
“The Journey Home is a truly collaborative effort, and Gary’s main talent is to gather a cadre of super musicians around him to create this inspiring quilt of soundscapes that lift our aural imagination to travel through deep harmonic and rhythmic textures. Combining elements from very different cultures can be tricky, but Gary successfully managed to assemble musicians from around the world to create this sound painting. A beautiful work of musical passion.”
– Jovino Santos Neto, Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, and bandleader
“Gary Muszynski, with his astounding music on hardpan, has a profound ability to move an entire audience into their hearts instantly. As a long-time producer of events with A-list talent, his musical abilities are in a class by themselves.”
– Bob Ayers, Executive Producer, TEDxMarin
Events
Experience Uplifting Global Music under the Redwoods: Gary Muszynski Summer Music Concert at Peri Park with Carlos Caminos, and special guest Julio Lemos from Brazil
Peri Park Concert | Redwood Stage | August 2nd, 2025 | 2–4 PM | Fairfax, CA
Join world percussionist and handpan artist Gary Muszynski and Venezuelan guitar virtuoso Carlos Caminos for an unforgettable afternoon of healing, high-vibe acoustic music under the redwoods at Peri Park in Fairfax. This beloved outdoor venue comes alive with sounds from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Spain, Ireland, Zimbabwe — and beyond — woven together with joy, skill, and soul. Joining them is special guest Julio Lemos, a renowned 7-string guitarist and Brazilian music scholar making his Peri Park debut.
This is a donation-based concert, open to all. Suggested contribution: $25–30 via cash, PayPal, or Venmo — but no one is turned away. Arrive by 1:30 to claim your spot! Bring a blanket or cushion, a picnic, and your people. The Good Earth offers perfect pre-concert snacks, and Lotus Cuisine of India (Fairfax & San Rafael) is ideal for post-concert feasting.
“… Mesmerizing and transcendent melodies and rhythms.”
– Brian L. Davis, Percussionist, Pink Martini
Whether you’re a long-time fan or discovering One World Music for the first time, this fourth annual redwood-stage gathering promises spirit-lifting artistry and heart-centered community.
Past Events
Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin on Music as Medicine with Gary Muszynski – KQED’s Forum Live, Co-Presented by Litquake
Music is one of humanity’s oldest medicines. Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author of This Is Your Brain on Music, joined KQED Forum’s Alexis Madrigal to discuss how the deep connections between music and the human brain can be harnessed for healing.
They discussed Levitin’s new book and — with the help of live performance with composer and musician Gary Muszynski — explored music’s curative powers. Immerse yourself in one of the most potent age-old, yet promising, new therapies available today. See video below.
Roots & Wings (2021)
Medicine Music for Our Times
Roots & Wings (Medicine Music), won the top honor at the prestigious Global Music Awards in 2021. The project involved twenty-four master musicians from eight counties and took eight years to complete. Hear Gary’s music here.
Videos
“The Journey Home,” the title track from Gary Muszynski’s new album of the same name (out fall 2024), features Varijashree Venugopal (Carnatic flutes and voice), Frank Martin (piano), Daniel Berkman (kora and cello), and Gary on percussion and production. Recorded in top Bay Area studios with a stellar team of engineers and mastered by Bob Katz, the full album is now live on all streaming platforms.
Watch Gary Muszynski’s opening handpan solo for TedXMarin. Gary is an award-winning percussionist, composer, and producer whose genre-defying music blends global folk traditions, improvisation, and the sounds of nature. He has collaborated with world-renowned artists like Bobby McFerrin and Omar Sosa, and his latest album, Roots & Wings: Medicine Music, earned top honors at the Global Music Awards.
Watch an NPR Tiny Desk in-studio performance of a piece I wrote called “Dreaming of Dinnegal” dedicated to the spirit and the music of West Ireland featuring me on the C# celtic minor handpan and the udu and Joseph Hebert on the cello. To listen and purchase CDs and tracks, please go to Gary Muszynski’s Bandcamp.
Watch a live performance of “Hidden Meadow” from Roots & Wings featuring the One World Music ensemble. Recorded Oct. 26, 2021 at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, CA at the Roots & Wings CD release concert. To listen and purchase CDs and tracks, please go to Gary Muszynski’s Bandcamp.