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The English-American composer, baritone, and conductor, Ed Frazier Davis, has studied composition at Knox College (2007-2012), the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University (Master of Music degree Cum Laude: 2013-2015), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (August 2016-October 2018), primarily with Marta Ptaszyńska, Kyong Mee Choi, Stacy Garrop, Chen Yi, James Mobberley, and Zhou Long. He has studied voice with Sarah Moran, Stacey Tappan, Jim Collins, Gianna Rolandi, and Vinson Cole.
Living and working in Kansas City, Missouri, Ed Frazier Davis is the founder and director of the Institute for Choral Creativity, an organization dedicated to building composer-ensemble relationships and fostering the creation and appreciation of contemporary choral music. He is also Senior Composer-in-Residence for the William Baker Choral Foundation, which consists of nine ensembles in Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri.
Described as "at once deeply emotional and sublime" (KC Arts Beat) and lauded for its "compelling, […] colourful orchestration" (Musical Toronto), Ed Frazier Davis' music is polystylistic and draws from many eclectic influences, from Renaissance madrigals and Anglican church music to postminimalism and video game music. He has composed for a wide variety of media, but as an experienced singer he has a particularly strong affinity for writing for choirs. His compositions have been commissioned and performed throughout the world by many renowned performers and organizations, including Access Contemporary Music, the ACDA National Convention, the Aspen Music Festival, The Crossing, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, PLEXUS, and the Toronto Children's Chorus. In August 2016 he received the premiere of his first Australian commission at Melbourne’s famed Recital Centre. He has been named a winner or finalist in numerous contests, including the American Prize in Choral Composition, Chanticleer's Student Composer Competition, the Missouri Composer's Project, and the Young New Yorkers' Chorus's Composition Competition. Ultimately, he seeks to write music that breaks established artistic binaries—e.g. traditional vs. modern, accessible vs. unfamiliar—to create art that is fulfilling to as wide an audience as possible. A selection of his works are published through MusicSpoke; all other works are available to peruse/purchase on request.
As a singer, Ed Frazier Davis has consistently performed both ensemble and solo work with dozens of ensembles across the USA. In his hometown of Chicago, he frequently performed with organizations including Bella Voce, Chicago Choral Artists (where he served as bass section leader), Chicago Symphony Chorus, Choir of St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church (September 2015-July 2016), Grant Park Music Festival Chorus, Chicago Chamber Choir (2012-2016) and The Rookery. Beyond Chicago, he has worked intensively with Chanticleer as part of their Sonoma Choral Workshop, and was recently an Artist-in-Residence at the Des Moines Choral Festival. Now a proud Kansas Citian, he is thrilled to serve as bass section leader and assistant choirmaster at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (since July 2016), to sing in his fifth season with the William Baker Festival Singers (since August 2016), and to sing in his third season with the Kansas City Chorale (since October 2017). |
