Garfield Moore didn’t set out to become a cellist. But sometimes the right moment finds you—and for him, it happened in a school assembly, when a beloved guitar teacher revealed she was, in fact, a cellist. That quiet surprise would tune the rest of his life.
In this moving episode of Stories from Cold Springs, Moore shares a remarkable musical journey—one shaped by legacy, resilience, and joy. Born into a family of groundbreaking Black professionals—his grandfather the first African American OB-GYN professor in Chicago, his father the first Black ER director in Berkeley—Garfield grew up surrounded by excellence. But perhaps no influence was greater than his mother.
When his parents separated in the 1950s, Garfield watched his mother—once a devoted housewife—build a career from the ground up in a world that offered few opportunities to women of color. She rose to become a professor at one of California’s largest state universities, and today, a full scholarship bears her name. “Her achievement is utterly superb,” Garfield says. “That’s something she did without help.” Her determination, alongside the examples of Dr. King, Leontyne Price, and his father, instilled in him a profound sense of responsibility and purpose.
From a 1979 Carnegie Hall debut with jazz legend Sarah Vaughan (“one of the greatest music lessons I’ve ever had”) to backstage encounters with Dean Martin, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli, Moore’s career is a kaleidoscope of American cultural history. Yet his story is not defined by fame, but by perseverance.
He speaks with reverence about Leontyne Price, whose performance once gave him strength during a personal collapse. “When I left that theater,” he recalls, “I decided—if she can do this, I can do something.” That connection to Mississippi would become even more meaningful years later, when Garfield and his husband moved to the tiny town of Bassfield. What some might’ve seen as a step back became a return to purpose.
Now preparing concerts that span from Bach to Rock, Moore continues to teach, practice, and dream—including his goal of becoming the first American cellist to perform all six Bach Suites in Portugal.
Whether you're here for the music, the memories, or the legacy of those who paved the way, Garfield Moore’s story reminds us that inspiration doesn’t just come from the stage—it’s passed down, lived out, and kept alive through the act of telling it.
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Links to Stephen's incredible novels:
The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents
