Darcy Ataman

Darcy Ataman

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Humanitarian | Artist | Producer

  • Videos
  • Expertise
  • Innovation & Creativity
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Public Relations
  • Business Ethics & Values
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Psychological Safety
  • Racial Justice
  • Cultural Diversity
  • Resilience & Change

DARCY ATAMAN BIOGRAPHY

Darcy Ataman has dedicated his work to bringing an alternate form of music therapy to survivors of conflict and trauma. He developed the innovative Healing in Harmony music therapy program in partnership with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege and continues to scale the innovation that has served over 19,000 individuals in nine countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Guinea, South Africa, Turkey/Syria, and Peru.

Recently, Darcy Ataman has worked closely with Indigenous leaders in Canada to further develop the unique model of therapy and help address generational trauma. The latest Healing in Harmony partnerships include projects with Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto and Kehewin Native Dance Theatre in Kehewin Cree Nation, Alberta.

Darcy Ataman graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He has worked internationally as a music producer, collaborating with artists such as Levon Helm and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s studio, resulting in several Juno nominations.

In 2019, Darcy Ataman co-founded A4A Records and Publishing with legendary producer David Bottrill, creating a groundbreaking publishing model for artists living in extreme poverty and conflict zones. Darcy Ataman also spearheaded Artists for Sudan and Artists for Iran, reimagining U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” with Jim Cuddy, Neil Sanderson from Three Days Grace, Cone McCaslin from Sum 41, Serena Ryder, Corey Hart, Emmanuel Jal, and others.

As a music and video producer by trade, Darcy Ataman continues to collaborate with creatives around the world, including a partnership with celebrated producer and photographer Platon and The People’s Portfolio, for which he completed the score for the documentary film My Body is Not a Weapon.

In February 2023, Darcy Ataman unveiled the short film Ukrainian Artists United at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The project he co-created with photographer Jason Willheim showcases 11 artists in Lviv and their experience living through war in collaboration with Canadian artists such as members of Billy Talent, The Trews, Julian Taylor, and Adrian X (Drake).

The launch event on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion became the most successful exhibit launch in the museum’s history and will be a temporary exhibition at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa in February 2025. Recently, Darcy Ataman produced a 9,000-pound recreation of the 2015 tragic Alan Kurdi image using over 3,000 shoes from refugees across 25 countries.

This 25-foot-tall, 46-foot-wide structure was placed in downtown Winnipeg for approximately one month and drew substantial public engagement while advocating for the rights of refugees. A smaller piece entitled Requiem, utilizing 60 backpacks, furthered this campaign and was subsequently installed on Parliament Hill for one day.

Darcy Ataman was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross in July 2020 by the Governor General of Canada for his outstanding humanitarian work. In July 2022, he received the Order of Manitoba for his dedication to enriching the lives of vulnerable populations in conflict and post-conflict zones.

In April 2023, Darcy Ataman was awarded the Platinum Jubilee Medal for Manitoba in recognition of his contributions to the province. In January 2024, he received the Ruth Roberts Award for Heroes for Children by World Vision Canada.

A contributor to the Huffington Post and other publications, Darcy Ataman has also been a guest lecturer at Oxford University, the University of Winnipeg, and various international events, speaking to the long-lasting impact of music and its ability to re-stitch the soul.

Darcy Ataman Related Media

Podcast

Humans on Rights

Play

Stuart Murray

Darcy Ataman: Travel Safe

Darcy Ataman Related Content

Articles & Magazine Feature

Hope in Harmony

UM Today

University of Manitoba alumnus Darcy Ataman saw a way music could empower survivors of sexual assault and trauma in conflict zones. Now they’re reclaiming their voices and speaking out in song.
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Articles & Magazine Feature

Creator of Ukrainian musical documentary featured at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights reflects on his process

Global News

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Articles & Magazine Feature

Travel Safe art instillation unveiled in Odeon Park

SBC

Travel Safe, created by artist Darcy Ataman with the help of several volunteers from the Travel Safe coalition, is a large-scale recreation of Turkish photojournalist Nilüfer Demir’s photo of the body of two-year-old Alan Kurdi, who had drowned, along with his mother and brother, in the...
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Articles & Magazine Feature

Winnipeg-born music producer and humanitarian Darcy Ataman will be recognized for creating Healing In Harmony, an innovative music therapy program under the umbrella of Ataman’s organization, Make Music Matter.

Global Heroes

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Darcy Ataman Topic Presentations

Darcy Ataman Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada delivers keynote presentations, workshops, fireside chats, moderated Q&A, and other presentation formats on a wide variety of topics. Each presentation is unique, customized and tailored for audiences, industries, conferences and event formats.

Mental Health Expert: What Overcoming Trauma in the Hotspots of the World Can Teach Us

Health and Wellness : Building Resilience and Gratitude Through Adversity and Service

Restorative Justice: Community Development, Peace Building and Leadership Through the Arts

Darcy Ataman Speaking Testimonials

Mr. Ataman is an incredibly dedicated and effective humanitarian with extensive experience in conflict and post-conflict zones. He fundamentally believes music and the arts can play a direct and quantifiable role in healing trauma both at the individual and community level. His unique approach is predicated upon his lifelong philosophy that music can be an integral part of community-driven, holistic healing that is adaptable to various cultures and contexts, enabling survivors to regain their sense of agency. Mr. Ataman continually proves that he exemplifies the Canadian values of service and empathy to humanity by utilizing the power of music to both heal and advocate

Dr. Samantha Nutt MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC, C.M

Founder and President
War Child Canada and War Child USA

Please accept my recommendation for Darcy Ataman for his extraordinary contributions to the well being of our country—and our world—through the healing power of music. I have long admired Mr. Ataman’s work in Canada, Ukraine, and throughout Africa, especially as Founder and CEO of Make Music Matter – an international non-profit, based in Canada, with a mission to use the creative process as a therapeutic tool to help heal trauma and empower marginalized voices. Their innovative Healing in Harmony program for trauma survivors has served over 19,000 individuals in 11 locations across 9 countries in Africa (Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Africa, Guinea), the Middle...

Roméo Dallaire OC, CMM, GOQ, MSC, CD

Darcy is a powerhouse when it comes to supporting community through music and art. Not just any community, but communities of folks who are confronted and dealing with devastating circumstances, often life threatening. He is deeply committed to amplifying the voices, feelings, and stories of those experiencing violent conditions in their homelands, through a thoughtful pedagogy of healing through music and art. The intention, the hope, is to help people heal, be seen, and heard through their artistic journey and creation. Mr. Ataman has been promoting human rights through his work, and his steadfast determination to connect us with the very human experiences of people in conflict and war.

Isha Khan

Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Museum for Human Rights

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