Brent Michael Davids
Encyclopedia
Brent Michael Davids is an American composer and flautist. He is a member of the Stockbridge Mohican
nation of American Indians
. He has composed for Zeitgeist
, the Kronos Quartet
, Joffrey Ballet
, the National Symphony Orchestra, and Chanticleer
.
He holds a B.M. degree in music composition from Northern Illinois University
(1981) and an M.M. in music composition from Arizona State University
(1990), and is currently pursuing an M.A. in American Indian religious studies from Arizona State University.
In addition to concert music, Davids writes music for films. He composed music for the 2002 film The Business of Fancydancing and has composed a new score for the American 1920 film The Last of the Mohicans.
Davids' Mohican name is Blue Butterfly. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota
and is an active participant with the First Nations Composer Initiative
. He has also served as Composer-in-Residence with the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project
.
Mahican
The Mahican are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe, originally settling in the Hudson River Valley . After 1680, many moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the early 1820s and 1830s, most of the Mahican descendants migrated westward to northeastern Wisconsin...
nation of American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. He has composed for Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist (new music group)
Zeitgeist is an American contemporary classical music group based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1977.Its instrumentation includes two percussion, piano, and woodwinds...
, the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
, the National Symphony Orchestra, and Chanticleer
Chanticleer (ensemble)
Based in San Francisco, California, Chanticleer is a full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. Over the last three decades, it has developed a major reputation for its interpretations of Renaissance music, but it also performs a wide repertoire of jazz, gospel, and other venturesome...
.
He holds a B.M. degree in music composition from Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
(1981) and an M.M. in music composition from Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
(1990), and is currently pursuing an M.A. in American Indian religious studies from Arizona State University.
In addition to concert music, Davids writes music for films. He composed music for the 2002 film The Business of Fancydancing and has composed a new score for the American 1920 film The Last of the Mohicans.
Davids' Mohican name is Blue Butterfly. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and is an active participant with the First Nations Composer Initiative
First Nations Composer Initiative
The First Nations Composer Initiative is an organization dedicated to the promotion of new music by Native American composers. It is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States and affiliated with the American Composers Forum. Its Program Director is Georgia Wettlin-Larsen and its Advisors...
. He has also served as Composer-in-Residence with the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project
Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project
Founded in 2001, the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project is an outreach program of the Grand Canyon Music Festival that is dedicated to teaching Native American young people to compose concert music. Each year, young musicians work with a Native American composer and a string quartet...
.
Discography
- 1992 - Brent Michael Davids. Ní-tCâng. Blue Butterfly Group.
- 2002 - The Business of Fancydancing. FallsApart Records/RezRoad.
- 2002 - Chanticleer. Our American Journey. Contains The Un-covered Wagon by Brent Michael Davids. Teldec.
- 2003 - The Nebraska Children's Chorus and Bel Canto, dir. Z. Randall Stroope. Homeland. Contains Zuni Sunrise Song by Brent Michael Davids (1995).
External links
- Brent Michael Davids biography
- Brent Michael Davids biography
- Brent Michael Davids biography
- Brent Michael Davids photo