Alexander Davis

Alexander Davis (he/him) is a New York City-based bassoonist who has been known for his ability to play “with poise and élan”- Cleveland Classical. He is a musician whose artistic intentions center on space-making, connection, and community-building within classical music. An advocate of creating equity in the arts, Alexander is the founder and Artistic Director of the Sugar Hill Salon, a chamber music series showcasing black and brown wind artistry based in the culturally robust community of Harlem, NY, and on the stolen traditional territory of the Lenape Nation (www.sugarhillsalon.com). Alexander performed in the first all-black orchestra to ever hold a concert in the history of Carnegie Hall’s existence with the Gateway Festival Orchestra in April of 2022. He has played with The Knights, Harlem Chamber Players, American Composer Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, American Modern Opera Company, Tertulia Chamber Music, Sherman Chamber Ensemble, The North Country Chamber Players, and Metropolis. Apart from playing in orchestras, Alexander has performed on Broadway playing in the pits for Phantom of the Opera and Lincoln Center’s production of Camelot. Alexander has performed in summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Ensemble Evolution, Banff Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Maine Chamber Music Seminar, and the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival. In addition to performing, Alexander is the Administrative Director of the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival where he works alongside the Imani Winds to cultivate a new generation of innovative chamber musicians. He has also been part of the "Armory Artists Corps Teaching Artists" in conjunction with the Park Avenue Armory since 2018. Through the Armory, he serves NYC public school students by helping them gain access to tools for self-exploration in today's society through music. Alexander is adjunct bassoon faculty at Montclair State University and the Mannes School of Music Prep. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Performance from SUNY Fredonia, a Masters in Performance from Stony Brook University, a Performers Certificate in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate of Music at Stony Brook University. He has studied with bassoonists Frank Morelli, Bob Williams, and Laura Koepke.