Opera News has called Anthony Davis “A National Treasure” for his pioneering work in opera.  In 2020, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his the opera THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE. His music has made an important contribution not only in opera, but in chamber, choral and orchestral music. He has been on the cutting edge of improvised music and Jazz for over four decades. Anthony Davis continues to explore new avenues of expression while retaining a distinctly original voice. Mr. Davis has composed eight operas. X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X with a libretto by Thulani Davis, had its world premiere at the New York City Opera in 1986. Detroit Opera presented a new production of X with director Robert O’Hara in May 2022 and at Opera Omaha later in the Fall of 2022.  The opera was recorded in Boston with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project in June 2022 and the CD was released in October 2022. The opera will be performed later this year at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City with subsequent performances planned in Chicago at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle Opera. UNDER THE DOUBLE MOON, with a libretto by Deborah Atherton, premiered at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 1989 and TANIA, an opera based on the kidnapping of Patty Hearst with a libretto by Michael John La Chiusa, premiered at the American Music Theater Festival in 1992 was recorded and released for KOCH International in October of 2001 and received its European premiere in Vienna in November, 2003. His fourth opera, AMISTAD premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on November 29th, 1997. AMISTAD was created in collaboration with librettist Thulani Davis and was directed by George C. Wolfe. A new production of the opera, directed by Sam Helfrich, debuted at the Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, South Carolina in May, 2008. A recording of the opera was released on New World in 2008. Anthony Davis’ opera WAKONDA’S DREAM with a libretto by Yusef Komunyakaa had its world premiere with Opera Omaha in March 2007. LILITH, an opera about Adam’s first wife based on Allan Havis’ acclaimed play with a libretto by the playwright, debuted in 2009 followed by LEAR ON THE 2ND FLOOR, an opera inspired by King Lear, in March 2013. A new production of the opera was presented at Eastman School of Music in November 2022. His most recent opera THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE with a libretto by Richard Wesley was presented at Long Beach Opera in 2019 with performances with Portland Opera and again with Long Beach Opera in 2022. The opera was recorded in June 2022 and will be released next year.

A graduate of Yale University in 1975, Mr. Davis is currently Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego. In 2020 he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2008 he received the “Lift Every Voice” Legacy Award from the National Opera Association acknowledging his pioneering work in opera. In 2006 Mr. Davis was awarded a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.  Mr. Davis has also been honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the New York Foundation of the Arts, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Massachusetts Arts Council, the Carey Trust, Chamber Music America, Meet-the-Composer Wallace Fund, the MAP fund with the Rockefeller Foundation and Opera America. He has been an artist fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Civitella Ranieri and at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy.