Duane Shields Davis, originally from Cleveland, has taught 54 years which included The Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Community College, Western Michigan University, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He served as Chorus Master for Opera Grand Rapids for 31 years,
Duane awards include the Legacy Award presented by the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Maynard Klein Award for Choral Excellence presented by the American Choral Directors Association of Michigan. His ensembles have toured the U. S., Bahamas, Canada, Japan and Europe. Duane has conducted in Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls as well as the Kennedy Center. He has conducted All-State Choirs in 12 states and as well as festivals in 8 Canadian Provinces.
Duane’s compositions and arrangements has been performed by the Grand Rapids and Battle Creek Symphonies, Western Michigan University Gold Company, to name a few. With Gold Company, he has conducted the ensemble at theNational Induction of Inventors in Washington D.C,, the Polyfolia International Festival in Normandy, France and Choralies Festival in Vaison- la-Romaine, France. He regularly conducts the Grand Rapids Symphony at the annual Symphony With Soul concert. His has prepared ensembles and shared the stage with such artists as Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, Terrence Blanchard, Janis Siegel, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Tony Bennett, Take 6, Lalah Hathaway, New York Voices, Marcus Roberts, Lizz Wright and others.
Duane served as director of The Disney-Grammy All-American College Singers, and conducted the opening ceremonies for the Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom. He has served as a guest artist/clinician in Riga, Latvia and was a guest presenter in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan, for the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music as well as the DODDS choral festival conductor in London, England.
Duane served as Chorus Master for productions of Porgy and Bess and conducted the premiere of a chamber opera Afram ou la belle Swite, by Edmund Thornton Jenkins, at the Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, South Carolina.
