Anthony Davis (born February 20, 1951) is an American pianist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

. He incorporates several styles including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, rhythm 'n' blues, gospel, non-Western, African, European classical, Indonesian

gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...

, and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. He has played with several groups and is also professor of music at

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...

. Davis is perhaps best known for his

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

; he has been called "the dean of African-American opera composers." His better known compositions include ''

X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X ''X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X'' is an opera with music by Anthony Davis and libretto by Thulani Davis, to a story by Christopher Davis. It is based on the life of the civil rights leader Malcolm X. Performance history The opera premiered ...

'', which was premiered by the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

in 1986; ''Amistad'', which premiered with the

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

in 1997; and ''

Wakonda's Dream ''Wakonda's Dream'' is an English-language opera composed by American Anthony Davis (composer), Anthony Davis with a libretto by Yusef Komunyakaa. It premiered March 7, 2007 at Omaha, Nebraska's Orpheum Theatre (Omaha), Orpheum. It is about a con ...

'', which premiered at

Opera Omaha Opera Omaha is a major regional opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1958, the professional company is widely known for the International Fall Festival events it held in the 1980s and 1990s, which garnered international attention and served ...

in 2007. His opera '' The Central Park Five'' premiered on June 15, 2019 at the

Long Beach Opera Long Beach Opera is a Southern California opera company serving the greater Los Angeles and Orange County metroplex. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest continually running opera company in the L.A. area. Though small in size, the company has surveye ...

Company in California. It won him a

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

on May 4, 2020.

Biography

Davis was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. He has a 1975 degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, and has taught at Yale and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. Davis is a Distinguished Professor of Music at the

, having joined the department in 1996. He has received acclaim as a free-jazz pianist, a co-leader or

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...

with various ensembles. Such ensembles include those that featured Smith as

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues o ...

from 1974 to 1977. He has played with

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

and Leo Smith. In 1981, Davis formed an

octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 com ...

called Episteme. He also wrote the

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

for the 1993

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

version of

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

's ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

''. Many of his operas have explored people and events from African-American history. In a 1986 interview with writer Samuel R. Delany and historian

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African Ame ...

, Davis provides a detailed account on his influences and motivations for writing ''

.'' In 1997 his opera ''Amistad'', with a libretto by his cousin

Thulani Davis Thulani Davis (born 1949) is an American playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College and attended graduate school at both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In ...

, premiered at the

Chicago Lyric Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

. Its ambition was recognized but the production received mixed reviews. It was accepted for a production in 2008 at

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due ...

. It underwent a major revision and the production was highly praised. ''Opera Today'' said that the revised ''Amistad'' was "much leaner, more focused and dramatically far more effective than the original. And in so doing they he Davisescreated not only a masterpiece of American opera, but further a work that — against a contemporary horizon darkened by undercurrents of racism — resonates today far beyond Memminger and Spoleto USA.""Revised ''Amistad'' makes its mark"
''Opera Today'', May 2008, Accessed June 25, 2019 Davis has also explored Native American history in his work. His opera ''

'' (2007), with a libretto by

Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa (born James William Brown; April 29, 1941) is an American poet who teaches at New York University and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, for ''Ne ...

, is a tale of a contemporary Native American

Ponca The Ponca ( Páⁿka iyé: Páⁿka or Ppáⁿkka pronounced ) are a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the ...

family in Nebraska and the history that affects them. His opera, ''Lilith'', (

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

Allan Havis Allan Havis is an American playwright whose dramas have pronounced political themes and probe colliding cultures. His works range from minimal-language texts to ambiguous, ironic narratives that delineate the genesis, paradoxes, and seduction of e ...

) had its world premiere at the Conrad Prebys Music Center at

UCSD The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

on December 4, 2009. The story is about the demon figure of Jewish mythology who was sometimes said to be biblical

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

's first wife. It is set in a modern era. He began working on the music for the opera '' The Central Park Five'' in 2014. An early version, titled ''Five'', was performed in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

in 2016 by the Trilogy Company. The librettist for both the early and final versions was playwright

Richard Wesley Richard Wesley (born July 11, 1945) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is an associate professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing. Early life Wesley w ...

. ''The Central Park Five'' premiered on June 15, 2019 in a production by the Long Beach Opera Company in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

. In 2020 the work won him the

. He is the third UCSD professor in the university's 60-year history to win a Pulitzer. He commented, "it’s also very exciting for me that you can create political work that has an impact and speak to issues in our society. I’ve done my career creating political works, and I never thought I would ever get a Pulitzer." He learned that he had won the prize while in a Zoom meeting with music faculty colleagues, so they all heard the phone call; one of them later commented "Best Zoombomb ever!" In 2022, the Detroit Opera staged a production of ''

'', directed by

Robert O'Hara Robert O'Hara (born 1970) is an American playwright and director. He has written ''Insurrection: Holding History'' and ''Bootycandy''. ''Insurrection'' is a time traveling play exploring racial and sexual identity. ''Bootycandy'' is a series of ...

, with plans to travel to Chicago, Seattle, and the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

in New York City in Fall 2023.

Works

Orchestral

*''Wayang V'' (Piano Concerto, 1984) *''Maps'' (Violin Concerto, 1988) (These two works were released on Gramavision 18-8807-1, a 12"

long playing record The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

, with Davis as soloist in the piano concerto and dedicatee Shem Guibbory as soloist in the violin concerto. In each, the William McGlaughlin led the

Kansas City Symphony Orchestra Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the we ...

.) *''You Have the Right to Remain Silent'' (Clarinet Concerto, 2007) *''Amistad Symphony'' (2009)

Stage

* ''

'' (1986), libretto by

* ''Under the Double Moon'' (1989), libretto by Deborah Atherton * '' Tania'' (1992), with libretto by

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and ''Se ...

, about

Patricia Hearst Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United S ...

and events following her kidnapping by the

Symbionese Liberation Army The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...

* ''Amistad'' (1997/revised 2008), with libretto by

, about a case of an 1839 slave mutiny on a Spanish ship that reached the US Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Mende, freeing them * ''

'' (2007), with libretto by

, about a contemporary

family in Nebraska, and the spiritual journey of their son * ''Lilith'' (2009), with libretto by

, explores a figure from Jewish mythology, sometimes said to be Adam's first wife, set in modern times * ''Lear on the 2nd Floor'' (2012), with libretto by Allan Havis, shifts the story of

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

to feature a woman neuroscience researcher who suffers from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

, and her relationships with her three daughters and her late husband Mortimer, the Fool. * '' The Central Park Five'' (2019), with libretto by

. It premiered on June 15, 2019 by the Long Beach Opera Company in California.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*1978: ''Past Lives'' (VPA) *1978: ''Of Blues and Dreams'' ( Sackville) *1978: ''

Song for the Old World ''Song for the Old World'' is an album by pianist and composer Anthony Davis recorded in 1978 for the India Navigation label.Fitzgerald, M. & Ziegler, F.India Navigation Records List accessed November 2, 2015 Reception Allmusic awarded the alb ...

'' (

India Navigation India Navigation was an American record company and independent record label that specialized in avant-garde jazz in the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded by Bob Cummins, a corporate lawyer who helped jazz musicians with legal matters. Its catalogu ...

) *1979: ''

Hidden Voices ''Hidden Voices'' is an album by the Anthony Davis/James Newton Quartet recorded in 1979 for the India Navigation label.Fitzgerald, M. & Ziegler, F.India Navigation Records List accessed November 2, 2015 Reception Allmusic awarded the album 3 ...

'' (India Navigation) - with James Newton *1980: '' Lady of the Mirrors'' (India Navigation) *1980: '' Under the Double Moon'' ( MPS) - with

Jay Hoggard Jay Hoggard (born September 24, 1954) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography Jay Hoggard was raised in a religious family. He was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother taught him how to play piano at ...

*1981: ''Epistēmē'' (

Gramavision Gramavision Records is an American record label founded in 1979. Since 1994 it has been a subsidiary of Rykodisc. The label's music is largely jazz, blues and folk oriented but has touched on many other styles and genres. In 1979, Jonathan F.P. ...

) *1982: ''I've Known Rivers'' (Gramavision) *1982: ''Variations in Dream-Time'' (India Navigation) *1983: ''Hemispheres'' (Gramavision) *1984: ''Middle Passage'' (Gramavision) *1985: ''Return from Space (Wonder Nonfiction)'' (Gramavision) *1986: ''Undine'' (Gramavision) *1988: ''Ghost Factory'' (Gramavision) *1990: ''Trio, Vol. 2'' (Gramavision) *1989: ''Trio, Vol. 1'' ( Rhino) *1993: ''Lost Moon Sisters/In Dora Ohrenstein's Urban Diva'' *1992: ''X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X'' (Gramavision) *2001: ''Tania'' (

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east I ...

) *2008: ''Amistad'' (

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

)

As sideman

With

Barry Altschul Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea. Biography Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the s ...

* ''For Stu'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1979) With Ray Anderson *''

Blues Bred in the Bone ''Blues Bred in the Bone'' is an album by trombonist Ray Anderson which was recorded in 1988 and released on the Enja label.Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

* '' Six Compositions: Quartet'' (

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

, 1982) With

Marion Brown Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongsi ...

* '' Vista'' ( Impulse!, 1975) With

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

* ''

Kings of Mali ''Kings Of Mali'' is a post-bop/avant-garde jazz LP by Chico Freeman on India Navigation Records IN 1035 in September 1977 and released in 1978. The lp, like many others recorded and produced by India Navigation in New York city, featured many of ...

'' With

* ''Mystic Winds, Tropical Breezes'' (India Navigation, 1982) With Leroy Jenkins * '' The Legend of Ai Glatson'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1978) * ''

Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America ''Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America'' is an album by violinist and composer Leroy Jenkins (musician), Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in August and September 1978, and was released on LP by Tomato Records in 1979. On the album, Jenkins i ...

'' (Tomato, 1979) With George E. Lewis * '' Homage to Charles Parker'' (Black Saint, 1979) With

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

*''

Hue and Cry In common law, a hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime. History By the Statute of Winchester of 1285, 13 Edw. I statute 2. c ...

'' (Enja, 1992) With David Murray * ''

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

'' (Black Saint, 1980) * ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

'' (Black Saint, 1982) * '' David Murray Quintet'' ( DIW, 1994) With Wadada Leo Smith * '' Reflectativity'' (Kabell, 1975) also released on '' Kabell Years: 1971-1979'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. Th ...

, 2004) * '' Song of Humanity'' (Kabell, 1977) also released on ''Kabell Years: 1971–1979'' (Tzadik, 2004) * '' Reflectativity'' (Tzadik, 2000) * '' Golden Quartet'' (Tzadik, 2000) * '' The Year of the Elephant'' ( Pi, 2002) * ''

Ten Freedom Summers ''Ten Freedom Summers'' is a four-disc box set by American trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith. It was released on May 5, 2012, by Cuneiform Records. Smith wrote its compositions intermittently over the course of 34 years, beginning in 1977, ...

'' (

Cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge- ...

, 2012) * '' America's National Parks'' (

, 2016)

References

External links

Schirmer.com: Anthony DavisMusicians & Middle Schools: Anthony Davis
* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/arts/music/anthony-davis-x-detroit-opera.html New York Times profile from 2022*
Interview with Anthony Davis
July 17, 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Anthony 1951 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers African-American academics African-American classical composers American classical composers African-American male classical composers African-American classical pianists American classical pianists American male classical pianists African-American jazz pianists African-American opera composers American male classical composers Bessie Award winners India Navigation artists Jazz-influenced classical composers Male opera composers Pausa Records artists Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey University of California, San Diego faculty Academics from New Jersey 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists Classical musicians from New Jersey 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists Pulitzer Prize for Music winners MPS Records artists Sackville Records artists MNRK Music Group artists Gramavision Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians