Anthony Davis, Composer
The
music of pianist, improviser and composer Anthony Davis encompases a variety
of media, including operatic, symphonic, choral, chamber, dance, theater,
and improvised music. His interculturally focused work draws not only
upon traditional and current African-American sources, but on the Javanese
gamelan, American minimalism, and the European and Euro-American avant-garde.
Anthony Davis came to national prominence with his opera X: The Life
and Times of Malcolm X, which premiered to sold-out houses at New
York City Opera in 1986. A recording of the opera was released in 1992
and earned a Grammy nomination. His work Amistad premiered at the
Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1997. Esu Variations was premiered by
the Altanta Symphony for the Cultural Olympiad of the Atlanta Olympic
Games. Davis received the 1995 Academy Award from the American Academy
of Arts and Letters and the Bessie Award for Music for Dance. He served
as composer-in-residence with the Detroit Symphony (1995), visiting lecturer
in Afro-American Studies at Harvard (1992-96), visiting composer at Yale
(1990-96) and also visiting composer at the Society for the Humanities.
He is currently professor of music at the University of California at
San Diego.
Bang on a Can All-Stars
Since
its inception in 1989, the Bang on a Can All-Stars has established both
a national and international reputation as a premier pioneer of music
from the cutting edge. During the past decade the group has enjoyed an
upward spiral of fame with the release of several CDs, tours throughout
the United States, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, as well as appearances
at international music festivals and on Lincoln Center's "Great Performers"
series. Part classical ensemble, part rock band and part Jazz band, the
Bang on a Can All-Stars has a flexibility that represents a wide range
of music from a new generation of composers. Featured on the festival
will be Brian Eno's Music for Airports, as well as works by David
Lang, Steve Reich and Julia Wolfe.