Greetings, One Voice Chorus!
And welcome to my application materials page for your Queer Composers Commission Competition!
Below you will find my resume (which includes a list of relevant music compositions and activities) as well as both of my submitted scores and recordings. Be advised that I am submitting TWO recordings of the song -- "These Holidays". The first is a polished, live performance of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus so you can hear the full effect of the final product. The second is a recording of the new SATB score that I have submitted for your official review. The latter recording was made after a mere 10-minute reading session and hopefully shows the accessibility of the work. Also, please be aware that though the score and resume icons below read "download file", these files will merely open in another window and won't actually be downloaded without an additional command.
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I am very excited to be considered for your commission, OVC! I am currently a Master of Fine Arts degree candidate at the Vermont College of Fine Arts where I am studying music composition and focusing on choral arranging, songwriting and orchestration. My thesis project (if approved and funded)* will involve writing for community performing ensembles a lot like yours. This is only one of the reasons it would mean a lot to me to work with you.
My background includes decades of experiences that demonstrate my love and dedication to both music and the LGBTQ+ community. This fall, I began my 31st consecutive season singing with the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, for which I have also composed songs, served on the board, and served on the most recent Artistic Director Search Committee (sorry for "stealing" your former director!). I've been in the Minnesota Freedom Band for over 7 years and played flute and piccolo for three seasons with the Minnesota Philharmonic (the nation's first openly LGBTQ+ orchestra). From 1995 to 2005, I was a writer for Lavendar Magazine (then and now the Twin Cities' premiere LGBTQ+ journal magazine). Finally, during my "gap" year in New York City, I was a member of the Gotham Male Chorus (now known as the Stonewall Chorale) and shared the stage with approximately 20 other scared, brave men in our Carnegie Recital Hall debut on April 5, 1980!
This MFA degree will be my third master's degree in music (the first was in flute performance and the second in education). And I also have an Ed.D. in music. I've taught flute and aural skills at Iowa State University and am a proud alumnus of the United States Military Academy Band (at West Point).
Today, however, my focus is on creating new music which is why I am here. I have a lot of ideas for choral compositions. I love writing my own lyrics as well as setting the text of others. I am especially drawn to the words of prominent black women like Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama, Maya Angelo and Amanda Gorman. But if selected for this commission, it would be important to me to fit the commissioned work to the personality of your chorus and that it be relevant to the celebration of your 35th season. So right now, my ideas are merely something I can bring to the table. Not something I would want to impose upon you. I would love to work with you in much the same way as I would like to work with my thesis* collaborators -- by reviewing your mission statement, briefly surveying the chorus members and working closely with the leadership from the beginning of the creative process to the thunderous applause at the end.
My primary goal would be to write the perfect song for your chorus -- "the song of your dreams". Selfishly, I am also hoping for publication and repeat performances by other choruses. After graduation from VCFA (which is very near your proposed performance date), I intend to retire from full-time employment and embark upon a sole career as a music composer, possibly in your southern neighbor and my home state, South Carolina. I'd like to focus on choral and band music for community organizations and high school ensembles. With my Ed.D. degree, I may also seek part-time teaching opportunities. Looking ahead, I hope to have several of my works performed at the 2028 GALA Choruses Festival which would be a wonderful excuse for me to return to my beloved current stomping grounds where the Festival will again be held, St. Paul-Minneapolis!
I thank you so very much for considering me for this wonderful opportunity.
Shanti,
Michael
*If you're curious about my proposed thesis project, I invite you to view this request page that I shared with the Twin Cities' LGBTQ+ large music ensembles to ask for their support and intention to participate. I should know by November 15th if I will receive the funding!
| michael_davis_resume.pdf |
| these_holidays__satb_2024.pdf |
| alleluia2023davis.pdf |