Barker moved to the United States in 1986 to study at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where he worked with James Pellerite, Carol Wincenc, and Peter Lloyd. He received his Master of Music degree with honors in performance in 1989 and completed his Doctor of Music degree at IU, with a minor in Ethnomusicology, in 2000.

Barker has performed in numerous recitals and music festivals around the country, taught for four years as a visiting lecturer at Indiana University's School of Music Summer Semester, and performed as principal flute in the Marion (IN) Philharmonic for six years. From 1991-92, he performed as co-principal flute in the Orchestra of the Asturian Principality, in Oviedo, Spain. International tours with the Aguavá New Music Studio have taken Barker to Mexico, Colombia, and Israel.

As an arts administrator, Barker joined the Bloomington Early Music festival in 1994 as executive director and, since 2004, has worked as director of marketing and publicity at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

is a Poet, Storyteller and Visual Artist. She has been involved with the Bloomington Storyteller's Guild about fifteen years. She has presented in the Indianapolis Children's Museum, on University Campus's, coffeehouses and other places. She is a member of 5 Women Poets Writing Workshop and Host of the HART ROCK Poetry Series and Open-mic at Rachael's Cafe.

From Mississippi his family moved to eastern Massachusetts where he studied on basketball and church choir for the remainder of his childhood.

Steve began playing blues harp and Irish whistle at age 21 and now plays on a forest of primitive and ethnic woodwinds."