From Brock Hall to Carnegie Hall — Joel Davis orchestrates a bright future in composition

Joel Davis ('05) was never the average music student, and he continues to pursue extraordinary goals. "My years at Samford were literally life-changing. I discovered my true interests in composition and scholarship, and the experiences I had there continue to sustain me in my pursuit of a career in music."

A theory/composition major who also earned an honors certificate in double bass performance, Joel was a member of numerous instrumental and choral ensembles at Samford. He played double bass in the Samford Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble and was a guest bassist with the Percussion Ensemble and University Chorale and in several Samford opera and musical theatre productions. He sang in University Chorale and A Cappella Choir under the directorship of Drs. Timothy Paul Banks and Milburn Price. "My love for choral music is a direct result of the artistry that these men demonstrated in their choice of choral literature for performance," he says.

He also conducted on several occasions, including performances of his composition Fanfare for Six Trumpets with the Wind Ensemble and more of his own vocal and instrumental pieces at a convocation service in March 2005.

Currently he is completing the final term of his Master of Arts in Composition at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, where he serves as teaching assistant in the music department, teaching classes on music technology and contemporary music as the recipient of the endowed Helen M. Smith Fellowship. His instructors at Claremont have included Edward David Zeliff and Grammy-nominated composer Peter Boyer; under their guidance, he has seen one of his recent compositions recorded on CD and selected for inclusion in a faculty recital. Recently, he assisted Dr. Boyer as he prepared the orchestration and film score arrangements for the Academy Awards.

In October, 2008, Davis premiered a new composition at Carnegie Hall in New York in collaboration with Drs. Kathryn Fouse and G. William Bugg of Samford, who performed the work. The piece, Songs About God, was a song cycle for voice and piano based on the writings of southern philosopher John Crowe Ransom. "Writing a new piece for a Carnegie Hall premiere was a thrilling process. I never imagined that I would be given an opportunity of this magnitude so early in my career, and I would like to thank Samford University and the professors, administrators and staff who made it possible. Had I gone elsewhere for my undergraduate degree, an experience like this would have been much more difficult to achieve," Davis says.

In the fall Davis will begin doctoral studies in music composition. He has been named as one of 24 finalists across the nation for the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts.

Davis has achieved much and looks forward to his future studies but emphasizes the pivotal role his formative years at Samford played in his development. "The professors in the music department took the time to invest in me as an individual. They continue to be a guiding force in my life, and I am thankful for their example of how to use one's talents for the glory of God and the betterment of mankind."

For more about Joel Davis, see his blog at www.songalwaysknown.blogspot.com.
Dr. Peter Boyer's web site is www.propulsivemusic.com.