Written By GA PhilharmonicAtlanta born Dont’e Davis may well be what people have in mind when they speak of musical prodigies. He began playing violin at age 11 in the Cobb County public school system, and by the end of his first year was teaching himself to play other instruments. Despite the lack of much formal training, Dont'e won auditions to attend many prestigious musical programs, performed in his high school marching band, and played piano for the gospel choir. By 12, he had begun composing for string orchestra, and by 14 had completed his 1st Symphony. Before graduating from high school, Davis had written 5 symphonies, one mass, several string quartets, and a handful of concerti for various solo instruments. As an adult, with an eye toward performance opportunities for his compositions, he began to focus on chamber music, composing a series of string quartets for the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra chamber program. Soon after, he challenged himself to write a new symphony, this time in the style of a classical composer.That symphony, his 6th, left him inspired to next create a symphony with a high sense of drama without the "clashing sounds or atonal nonsense" characteristic of many modern works. Aspiring to capture the attention of not just musicians but audience members enthusiastic for an atypical classical experience, the driving force behind his Symphony No.7 became an attempt to follow the traditional symphonic form in a way that introduced a subtle "question mark at the end of your thoughts". After a "standard but riveting" opening movement, the second movement presents a passionate variant on a theme accompanied by an unconventional rhythmic and jazzy figuration.Mr. Davis is currently the Concertmaster of the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, performs regularly with the Georgia Philharmonic, and plays in various chamber ensembles throughout metro Atlanta. He continues to compose enthusiastically for both full orchestra and chamber ensembles.
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