Commissioned Composers

59th Commissioned Composer – March 13, 2025  

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will welcome featured composer Brent Michael Davids to Abbott Concert Hall on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. for the 59th Commissioned Composer concert. The concert is free and open to the public. 

BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS (Mohican/Munsee-Lenape) is an internationally celebrated Indigenous composer and music warrior for Native equity and parity. A citizen of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Davids is co-director of the Lenape Center in Manhattan. He originated and co-founded Arizona’s renowned Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP), championing Indigenous youth to compose written music. As an American Indian Music Scholar, Davids is in demand as a composer, educator and consultant for film, television, universities and festivals. He is a master performer of American Indian instruments and styles. Known especially for his signature quartz crystal flutes and colorful orchestral textures, Davids remains one of the country’s most sought after composers.

Brent Michael Davids’ composer career spans nearly five decades, including awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, Rockefeller Foundation, In-Vision, Park City Film Music Festival, School for Advanced Research, Creative Capital, MAP Fund, Forge Project, Meet-The-Composer, Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and Jerome Foundation, among others. Awarded by the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, Davids presented in a month-long tour of Russia, lecturing and performing in Khabarovsk, Birobidjan, Vladivostok and Moscow (2011). International ensembles have premiered his works globally in Austria, Bermuda, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Disney Concert Hall, Tanglewood Music Center’s Koussevitzky Shed and Ozawa Hall, Rothko Chapel, The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors, and The Kennedy Center.

South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and the famed Porcupine Singers (drum group) performed Davids’ “Black Hills Olowan” on a SDPB-TV network special (2009) following a road trip to Lakota tribal communities across South Dakota. Innova Recordings released “Black Hills Olowan” on Compact Disc in 2022.

New Mexico Symphony and Chorus premiered “Santa Fe 400th Symphony” at the Lensic Performing Arts Center (2010). The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, commissioned Davids to commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary. The work featured flamenco guitarist Anna Maria Cardinalli-Padilla and the composer on flute. The lyrics for the chorus were written by New Mexico’s Poet Laureate Valerie Martinez.

Mankato Symphony Orchestra and the renowned Maza Kute Singers (drum group) performed a full concert of Davids’ orchestra works on the “Dakota Music Tour” throughout southern Minnesota (2011). The tour was filmed for TV broadcast the following year.

Davids’ “Powwow Symphony” (for Powwow M.C. and Orchestra) was premiered by New Mexico Symphony (1999), Phoenix Symphony (2002), and Mankato Symphony (2011). Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, his “Canyon Sunrise” (1996) premiered at the Kennedy Center to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center and the 60th Anniversary of the NSO. Garrison Keillor asked Davids for the orchestra work, “Prayer & Celebration” (2005), that premiered on “A Prairie Home Companion” show.

In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts named Davids among the nation’s most celebrated choral composers in its project “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius,” along with Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Foster, and 25 others. He has worked extensively in the choral field, often featured as a clinician for conventions, including the Sixth Annual World Choral Symposium held in Minneapolis (2003). The Venice Biennale Musica 2022 featured Davids’ choral music on a concert of his works including a new commission. Grammy Award-winning Chanticleer has commissioned Davids multiple times, for “Night Chant” (1997), “Mohican Soup” (1999), “Un-Covered Wagon” (2003), and “Leather Stocking” (2012).

Many of Davids’ works employ traditional Native American instruments and unique instruments of his own design, including a soprano quartz crystal flute (1989), bass quartz crystal flute (1991), and air or water percussion instruments that chirp or whistle. Many of his bowl-shaped devices and resonating drums can be bowed, shaken, or tapped. He fashions ink manuscripts that are themselves visual works of art.

As an educator, Davids originated and co-founded the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP) in Arizona (2000), and the Composer Apprentice National Outreach Endeavor (CANOE) in Minnesota (2005) and Wisconsin (2014), to teach Native youth to compose written concert music. Under these music literacy programs, hundreds of students have successfully written scores for string quartet and orchestra, without prior ability to read music before Davids’ innovative curriculum.

Davids holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Composition from Northern Illinois University (1981) and Arizona State University (1992) respectively, trained at Redford’s Sundance Institute, and apprenticed with film composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare In Love). Brent Michael Davids has garnered the Distinguished Alumni Awards from both of the universities he attended, NIU (1996) and ASU (2004), and has been nominated for the prestigious CalArts Alpert Award two times (1995, 2006). The prestigious Indian Summer Festival awarded Davids its “Lifetime Achievement Award” in music (2015).

Davids won a Silver Medal for “Excellence in Original Scoring” from the Park City Film Music Festival (2011) for his orchestral score to the animated feature “Valor’s Kids.” Davids has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, Hallmark, NPR, PBS, NAPT, and National Geographic. Davids’ film scores include: “Bring Her Home” (2020), “The People’s Protectors” (2018), “Lake of Betrayal” (2017), “The Mayors of Shiprock” (2017), “Viva Diva” (2107), “Waabooz” (2016), Iroquois Creation Story” (2015), “The Jingle Dress Tradition” (2015), “By Our Nature” (2015), “Living With the Land” (2012), “Valor’s Kids” (2011), “Opal” (2011), “Raccoon & Crawfish” (2007), “The 1920 Last of the Mohicans” (2003), “World of American Indian Dance” (2003), “The Business of Fancy Dancing” (2002), “The Silent Enemy” (1996), and “Bright Circle” (2006).

Davids’ most recent project is “Requiem for America: Singing for the Invisible People.” This major work tackles the genocidal founding of America, giving voice to America’s Indigenous People. “Requiem” exposes a specific genocide in each state, juxtaposing genocidal texts from America’s founding against historical letters from American Indians themselves. In addition to the Western singers and orchestra, each performance will feature Indigenous singers recruited from local tribal communities. Once completed, it is hoped that “Requiem” will tour every state in the country.

Annual Commissioned Composer Project Since 1967

The Commissioned Composer Project, begun in 1967 by Professor Emeritus Conrad De Jong, is the longest standing program of its kind in the United States, putting a national spotlight on the UW-River Falls Music Department. Each year, student members of the Commissioned Composer Project select and commission a composer to write a piece of music for the student body, and arranges for that composer to come to the campus in the spring to interact with the students and take part in the premiere performance of that work.

Conrad De Jong is a highly acclaimed and accomplished composer of international renown. He has 30 published commissions to his credit and, since 1970, has received annual awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In 1980, he was a featured composer at New Music America. His music has been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Town Hall in New York City, and on the Today Show.  Internationally, his works have been performed in Canada, South America, Europe, Australia and Japan. One of his numerous commissions, Variations on the Spanish LaFolia, has been recorded by the Dorian Wind Quintet on its Summit Records CD, American Premiers.

As a teacher, he was especially proud of his students' work in composition and their performances with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls New Music Ensemble. He also takes great personal gratification from the establishment and continuation of the UWRF Commissioned Composer Program. 

Commissioned Composer Student Organization

UW-River Falls hosts the longest running collegiate Commissioned Composer Project in the US. Founded by Conrad De Jong, we celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016 with Amy Williams, composer.

Students participate in all aspects of the Commissioned Composer Project. Guided by adviser Patti Cudd, the composers visit campus and share a new work created for the UWRF Music Department. Students of this organization meet on a regular basis to plan, prepare, and host the week-long residency in spring semester. Join this group of creative thinkers who make a difference in the world of music.

Commissioned Composers - 58 Years

• 1967 Vincent Persichetti - CELEBRATION  
• 1968 Donald Erb - THREE PIECES  
• 1969 Chou Wen-Chung - YUN  
• 1970 Ross Lee Finney - THE REMORSELESS RUSH OF TIME  
• 1971 Barney Childs - WHEN LILACS LAST IN THE DOORYARD BLOOM’D  
• 1972 Mel Powell - SETTING  
• 1973 Stephen Chambers - SKETCHY BLUE BOP AND TONE PRAYERS  
• 1974 William Albright - INTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLIA, AND RONDO CAPRICCIOSO  
• 1975 Henry Brant - A PLAN OF THE AIR  
• 1976 Leslie Bassett - WIND MUSIC  
• 1977 John Cage - QUARTET  
• 1978 Richard Felciano - THE SEASONS  
• 1979 Barbara Kolb - CHROMATIC FANTASY  
• 1980 Edwin London - PSALM OF THESE DAYS V  
• 1981 Stephan Chatman - SCREAMS AND WHIMPERS  
• 1982 Sydney Hodkinson - ALTE LIEBESLIEDER (Book III)  
• 1983 Frederic Rzewski - SATYRICA  
• 1984 Fisher Tull - QUODLIBET  
• 1985 Irwin Bazelon - FOURSCORE  
• 1986 Harold Budd - ODD ANTHEMS AND STILL ROOMS  
• 1987 Morton Feldman - FOR STEFAN WOLPE  
• 1988 Libby Larson - BAC  
• 1989 John Zorn - RUAN LINQYU  
• 1990 Joel Chadabe - JAM  
• 1991 Mary Ellen Childs - IN EACH OTHER’S PRESENCE  
• 1992 Lois V Vierk - PLAIN OF SIX GLACIERS  
• 1993 James Fritschel - COME LET US SOUND WITH MELODY  
• 1994 David Revill - ORENDA  
• 1995 Jennifer Higdon - WILD MAN DANCES  
• 1996 Conrad De Jong - EARTH SONGS  
• 1997 Joseph Turrin - SOUNDINGS  
• 1998 Fred Sturm - RIVERSCAPE  
• 1999 Judith Lang Zaimont - PARALLEL PLAY  
• 2000 Jared Spears - LEGACY  
• 2001 Pauline Oliveros - SOUND PATTERNS AND TROPES  
• 2002 Anthony Braxton - COMPOSITION NO. 307  
• 2003 Christian Wolff - PEACE MARCH 9  
• 2004 Michael Torke - FOUR WHEEL DRIVE  
• 2005 Stephen Paulus - JUBILATE!  
• 2006 John Luther Adams - ... and bells remembered ...  
• 2007 Lars Jansson - RIVER FALLS SUITE  
• 2008 Marc Mellits - PRIME  
• 2009 Julia Wolfe - GUARD MY TONGUE  
• 2010 Michael Colgrass ZULULAND  
• 2011 Conrad De Jong - EARTHSONGS II  
• 2012 Cort Lippe - MUSIC FOR OCTET AND COMPUTER  
• 2013 Fang Man - CONCERTO FOR PIANO, PERCUSSION AND WIND INSTRUMENTS  
• 2014 Guy Klucevsek - LITTLE BIG TOP (SUITE)  
• 2015 Mark Applebaum - CLICKTRACK  
• 2016 Amy Williams Mise-en-Scène - FOR SMALL WIND ENSEMBLE  
• 2017 Jocelyn Hagen - CROWN OF WEEDS 
• 2018 Young Jo Lee - ENCOUNTER – VI  
• 2019 Alan Ferber - SECOND WIND  
• 2020 Nirmala Rajasekar - ELEMENTAL SPIRIT: RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY  
• 2021 Evan WIlliams - SOUND AN ALARM  
• 2022 Alex Shapiro - FREE 
• 2023 Davor Bobic - AMERICAN CROATIAN TRIPTYCH 
• 2024 - Jin Hi Kim - VOCALIZATION IN MOTION 

Conrad De Jong

 

Conrad De Jong, composer and professor emeritus, initiated the commissioned composer event in 1967 at the school's Spring Fine Arts Festival. De Jong's intention from the beginning was to ensure that contemporary trends in American music would become part of the repertoire of UW-River Falls music students.

For more information, view "Bravo Maestro!"