Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Meet Pulitzer Award Winner and American Composer Anthony Davis of Netflix's "Central Park Five"
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Meet Pulitzer Award Winner and American Composer Anthony Davis of Netflix's "Central Park Five"
Today’s show opens with an iconic legend and friend, Professor Anthony Davis!
A celebrated American composer, Davis is best known for his groundbreaking operas, including X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which premiered to sold-out houses at the New York City Opera in 1986. This work pioneered a new American genre: opera addressing contemporary political subjects. A revised production premiered at Detroit Opera in May 2022, directed by Robert O’Hara, and a new recording with BMOP and Odyssey Opera was released in October 2022. The original recording, released in 1992 on the Gramavision label, earned a Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 1993.
Davis also won a Pulitzer Prize for his opera The Central Park Five, further cementing his status as a leading composer exploring themes of social justice. His other notable operas include:
Under the Double Moon (1989), a science fiction opera with libretto by Deborah Atherton, premiered at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Tania (1992), with libretto by Michael-John LaChiusa, based on the abduction of Patricia Hearst, premiered at the American Music Theater Festival.
Amistad (1997), with libretto by Thulani Davis, dramatizing a slave ship uprising, premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
A graduate of Yale University (1975), Davis is currently a Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego, holding the Cecil Lytle Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in African and African-American Music. Over his career, he has received numerous honors, including:
“Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award, National Opera Association (2008)
Guggenheim Fellowship (2006)
Recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, NYC Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more
Artist fellowships at the MacDowell Colony and Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center, Italy
Through his work, Anthony Davis represents Black struggle and resilience through opera, using music as a powerful lens to explore history, politics, and the human experience.
✨ A must-listen interview for anyone passionate about music, culture, and the transformative power of art.
Musical Intro "FREEDOM"by June Allison & Jonva Ven
Musical Contribution
Sponsored by:
LiveLifebHappy 24/7 "Clothing Store"
Shop for Your Fashion Today...
https://livelifebhappy24-7.myshopify.com
Infinitzy8entertainment, LLC
Musical Contribution:JonVA MUSIQ
Producer/Editing Engineer:Amin Abraham-Quiles
Engineering &Mastering: Soundmusiqproductions1.org
Photo Credit: Wanda RyanDOCENTERTAINMENT
8UANTUM GLOBAL Network in Affiliation With DOCENTERTAINMENT
View all episodes
By JonVA
5
22 ratings
Today’s show opens with an iconic legend and friend, Professor Anthony Davis!
A celebrated American composer, Davis is best known for his groundbreaking operas, including X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which premiered to sold-out houses at the New York City Opera in 1986. This work pioneered a new American genre: opera addressing contemporary political subjects. A revised production premiered at Detroit Opera in May 2022, directed by Robert O’Hara, and a new recording with BMOP and Odyssey Opera was released in October 2022. The original recording, released in 1992 on the Gramavision label, earned a Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 1993.
Davis also won a Pulitzer Prize for his opera The Central Park Five, further cementing his status as a leading composer exploring themes of social justice. His other notable operas include:
Under the Double Moon (1989), a science fiction opera with libretto by Deborah Atherton, premiered at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Tania (1992), with libretto by Michael-John LaChiusa, based on the abduction of Patricia Hearst, premiered at the American Music Theater Festival.
Amistad (1997), with libretto by Thulani Davis, dramatizing a slave ship uprising, premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
A graduate of Yale University (1975), Davis is currently a Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego, holding the Cecil Lytle Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in African and African-American Music. Over his career, he has received numerous honors, including:
“Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award, National Opera Association (2008)
Guggenheim Fellowship (2006)
Recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, NYC Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more
Artist fellowships at the MacDowell Colony and Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center, Italy
Through his work, Anthony Davis represents Black struggle and resilience through opera, using music as a powerful lens to explore history, politics, and the human experience.
✨ A must-listen interview for anyone passionate about music, culture, and the transformative power of art.
Musical Intro "FREEDOM"by June Allison & Jonva Ven
Musical Contribution
Sponsored by:
LiveLifebHappy 24/7 "Clothing Store"
Shop for Your Fashion Today...
https://livelifebhappy24-7.myshopify.com
Infinitzy8entertainment, LLC
Musical Contribution:JonVA MUSIQ
Producer/Editing Engineer:Amin Abraham-Quiles
Engineering &Mastering: Soundmusiqproductions1.org
Photo Credit: Wanda RyanDOCENTERTAINMENT
8UANTUM GLOBAL Network in Affiliation With DOCENTERTAINMENT