TEMPE, AZ -- It's not often that a Native American is featured at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington DC, but Composer Brent Michael Davids is making his third showing there! In 1992, Davids performed his Moon of the Falling Leaves with the famous Joffrey Ballet, and in 1995, the world-renown Kronos Quartet opened their concerts with his Singing Woods for enthusiastic crowds. Both groups have now performed these works in dozens of major cities around the world. As a result, Davids is busy working on his third commission for the Kronos Quartet to be premiered later this year.
This time around, the Kennedy Center will be featuring Davids new work CANYON SUNRISE written especially for the National Symphony Orchestra. CANYON SUNRISE commemorates the 65th Anniversary of the National Symphony Orchestra and the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center. Composed as a fanfare for Native America, SUNRISE is a musical celebration for both the ancient and contemporary residents of a southwestern canyon. From night crickets to morning birds, the music portrays the glow of dawn as it begins to shine into the rocky crevasses. CANYON SUNRISE is a carefully crafted composition that combines the "song" techniques of Native Americans with the "developmental" techniques of Western-European music. With flutes and percussion instruments spaced into three separate groups, the unusual spatial arrangement mimics the sound of echoes in a deep canyon. Brent Michael Davids is widely recognized for his innovative approaches to composing music as well as his self-designed instrument creations. Brent Michael Davids is an enrolled member of the Mohican Nation.
CANYON SUNRISE is scheduled for 1996 performances on February 22, 23, 24 & 27, at the Kennedy Center. Contact Angie Gutierrez at the National Symphony Orchestra for details: 202/416-8108.