UW-River Falls hosts 59th Commissioned Composer concert

March 6, 2025 - Brent Michael Davids, a renowned composer and advocate for Native equity in concert music, will be the featured composer for the 59th Commissioned Composer concert at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Davids will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, in Abbott Concert Hall in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building, 420 E. Cascade Ave. The concert is free and open to the public.

Davids will be on campus from March 10-13 for a residency, during which he will share insights about his music with faculty and students. He’ll discuss his newest composition at 10 a.m. March 13 in 129 Kleinpell Fine Arts. All events are open to the public.

Davids is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community and has a history of advocating for Native American causes. He co-founded the award-winning Native American Composer Apprentice Project, which empowers Indigenous youth to compose their own music. He is also co-director of the Lenape Center in Manhattan. He has received numerous awards and commissions from prestigious organizations and ensembles.

Davids’ works have been premiered by international ensembles in countries including Austria, Bermuda, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan and others. He has performed in numerous notable venues, including Carnegie Hall, Disney Concert Hall, Tanglewood Music Center and the Kennedy Center.

In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts recognized Davids as one of this nation’s most celebrated choral composers in its “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius” project. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Summer Music Festival in 2015.

Davids’ newest project, “Requiem for America: Singing for the Invisible People,” addresses the genocidal founding of America and gives voice to Indigenous people.

For more information, contact patti.cudd@uwrf.edu.