Brent Michael Davids is a young composer whose music moves between the worlds of the Kronos Quartet, Joffrey Ballet and Native American Song. Mr. Davids, a member of the Mohican Nation, is an internationally recognized Composer whose music features elements of Native American tribal music combined with Western compositional techniques. Davids has composed for very different ensembles and genres demonstrating his skill and versatility attained from his classical training, and often uses traditional Native American instruments of his own design in his compositions, including flutes made of quartz crystal.

In addition to extensive performances of his works in the US and abroad by the Kronos Quartet (The Singing Woods, ‘94; Turtle People, ‘95; Native American National Anthem, ‘96);    Miro Quartet (The Last of James Fenimore Cooper: By A Mohican, '01); Chanticleer (Night Chant, '96; Mohican Soup, '98); Dale Warland Singers (Native American Suite, '95; Mohican Soup, '97); Racine Choral Arts Society (She Is One Of Us, '00); World Voices (Of This Turtle Isle, 01); One Voice Mixed Chorus (Mohican Friends, '94); the Joffrey Ballet (Moon of the Falling Leaves, ‘91); New Mexico Symphony (Powwow Symphony, '99); Phoenix Symphony (Powwow Symphony, '01) and the National Symphony Orchestra (Canyon Sunrise, ‘95), Davids has received numerous awards from organizations such as the NEA, Bush Foundation, Meet the Composer, ASCAP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Sundance Institute.

Davids holds a Bachelor degree and Master degree in composition from Northern Illinois University and Arizona State University respectively. In 1998, Davids was invited to be one of six composers invited to Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Film Lab where he created music for Sherman Alexie’s film “Indian Killer” and received shouting applause for the score, and he was featured on a segment of “CBS Sunday Morning” (1998) with Charles Osgood and Eugenia Zuckerman. Davids also collaborated with guitarist Joe Myers on an all Quartz Crystal Flute and Guitar CD called “Joe & the Blue Butterfly” (1998). In 2001, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra performed Davids "Powwow Symphony" as a 40-minute powwow event complete with dancers and a powwow Master of Ceremonies who freely speaks into a microphone during the orchestral work, and the work was filmed for TV with Davids as the Producer. Davids and his work with the Guardians of the Grand Canyon and the Grand Canyon Music Festival were featured in the PBS special "Continental Harmony" which aired nationally in the Fall of 2001. Recently, Davids new choral work "The Un-Covered Wagon"2002) was released on the Teldec label for 25th anniversary season of the Grammy Award-winning chorus Chanticleer ("Our American Journey" CD). Davids is currently working on (1) the first All-American Indian Radio Opera "The Trial of Standing Bear" with librettist Marcie Rendon and the ensemble Zeitgeist, and (2) is the Apprentice Composer for the new Hallmark Mini-Series "Dreamkeeper" working with composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakerspeare In Love) and director Steven Barron (Merlin).

For more information on Brent, please email him at butterfly@brentmichaeldavids.com

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