Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Never Before Have You Experienced Something Like This!

On December 10 & 11, 1999, The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Presents... "New World / New Mexico / New Century", Brent Michael Davids performs in the World Premiere of his Symphony No.1 "PAUWAU: A GATHERING OF NATIONS, FOR MC AND ORCHESTRA".

* David Lockington, Conductor
* New Mexico Symphony Chorus
* Brent Michael Davids, Crystal Flute
* Sammy Tone-Kei White, Emcee

Popejoy Hall, University of New Mexico, December 10 at 8:00 P.M. ~ December 11 at 6:00 P.M. Information: (505) 881-8999 or 1-800-251-NMSO statewide. Tickets: 1-800-905-3315 or visit, http://www.protix.com.

Featuring:

David Lockington, Conductor;
New Mexico Symphony Chorus;
Sammy Tone-Kei White, Powow M.C.;
Brent Michael Davids, Quartz Crystal Flute;
And, Native American Dancers,
with staging by Choreographer Peter Pucci.

1. Welcome
2. Sunset (Adagio)
3. Gourd Dance
4. Grand Entry
5. Flag Song (Fanfare)
6. Veteran Song (Memorial)
7. Interlude One
8. Inter-Tribal (Dance)
9. Tiny Tots Dance
10. Interlude Two
11. Song Cycle
12. Final Contest Song (Dance)
13. Honor Song
14. Prayer Song
15. Grand Exit

The world's first symphonic powwow bears this dedication: In loving memory of my English Grandparents and my Mohican Grandparents, the last of which traveled to a new season in late summer of 1998. And to my very old English and Mohican relatives, the Pilgrim who Mayflowered the ocean to land on Native soil, and the Native who was there to meet him. - Brent Michael Davids

Brent Michael Davids first major Symphony, No. 1, PauWau: A Gathering of Nations is subtitled "a day in the life of a powwow." Just as one hears the Master of Ceremonies at a pow wow, his voice is heard throughout the symphonic work as well -- to direct, explain, announce and entertain. In this case, the M.C. helps direct the symphonic pow wow event along with the conductor. The orchestra performs music that portrays the typical events of a Pow Wow day in 5 movements. Sammy "Tone-Kei" White, Kiowa, of Anadarko, Oklahoma, was chosen to be the Master of Ceremonies for Pau Wau four years ago, when the work was in its infancy. Tone-Kei has emceed major Pow Wows since the late 1960's, including Albuquerque's famed "Gathering of Nations" Pow Wow. Often creating specialized instruments for his compositions from interesting materials, Davids will be performing on a soprano flute hand-made from quartz crystal by Michael Wheeler and Don Galvin. Now his signature instrument, the sounds surging from Davids' quartz crystal flute are as unique as they are haunting in beauty. Davids' use of extended instrumental techniques such as whispering or singing as he plays, combined with sometimes harsh brittle articulations, sets his performances apart from other Indigenous flute players recording today.

Yet there is another aspect of Davids' music that makes PauWau unequaled. Although there is a current trend among modern Non-Indian composers to borrow Native American themes for use in their music, the success rate has been albeit splotchy. Despite a long history of symphonic composer looking for Indigenous inspiration, including Dvorak and others as far back as Rameau, success in creating true-to-life Indigenous music has been limited to a few composers such as the established Quapaw/Cherokee composer, Dr. Louis Ballard.

What sets Davids' work apart is his intense familiarity with Native American traditions, and his expertise as a trained experimental composer. And unlike some indigenous performer's beginning ventures into the symphonic a rena where the music is written out by non-Natives (e.g., works featuring R. Carlos Nakai, Joanne Shenandoah, and others) -- every dot, line and dash of Pau Wau was actually put on the page by Davids himself. What a Native American composer knows of indigenous life is more exacting than what a non-Indian composer can only imagine -- and it shows.

Written as only a Mohican composer could write it, Pau Wau is a powerful and enriching mix of both the orchestral tradition and Native American life. Davids hopes Pau Wau will introduce orchestral music to Native American audiences in a familiar way, and bring an understanding of the Pow Wow to audiences already familiar with the orchestral repertoire. PauWau was commissioned in part by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra with the gracious assistance of Ralph Berkowitz, and supported in part by the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, the Rockefeller Foundation, and others.

Brent Michael Davids is a young composer whose music moves between the worlds of the Kronos Quartet, Joffrey Ballet and Native American Song. Mr. Davids, a member of the Mohican Nation, is an internationally recognized Composer whose music features elements of Native American tribal music combined with Western compositional techniques. Davids has composed for very different ensembles and genres demonstrating his skill and versatility attained from his classical training, and often uses traditional Native American instruments of his own design in his com positions, including flutes made of quartz crystal.

In addition to extensive performances of his works in the US and abroad by the Kronos Quartet (The Singing Woods, '94; Turtle People, '95; Native American National Anthem, '96); the Joffrey Ballet (Moon of the Falling Leaves, '91), and the National Symphony Orchestra (Canyon Sunrise, '95), Davids has received numerous awards from organizations such as the NEA, Meet the Composer, ASCAP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Sundance Institute.

Davids holds a Bachelor degree and Master degree in composition from Northern Illinois University (1981) and Arizona State University (1991) respectively. In 1998, Davids was invited to be one of six composers invited to Robert Redford's Sundance Institute Composers Lab where he created music for Sherman Alexie's upcoming film "Indian Killer" and received shouting applause for the score. Also, he was featured on a segment of "CBS Sunday Morning" with Charles Osgood and Eugenia Zuckerman (1998). Davids recent collaboration with Joe Myers has resulted in a number of new instrumental songs for an all Quartz Crystal Flute and Guitar CD called "Joe & the Blue Butterfly" (1999). In addition to his recent performances at Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors (NYC), the Native Roots and Rhythms Festival (Santa Fe) and the National Museum of the American Indian (NYC), Davids is hard at work on a new project -- The Trial Of Standing Bear: The Opera! -- for the Opera-Omaha company in Omaha, Nebraska.