Ed Frazier Davis ’12

Describe your style as a composer. What inspires you? What do you hope to accomplish with your music?

My music is polystylistic, influenced by lots of eclectic musical styles ranging from early Medieval songs and Anglican church music to '80s new wave and '00s trip-hop. To date, I've written 39 compositions, in a relatively wide variety of instrumentation, but I definitely have the greatest affinity for choirs, for which 25 of those works are written. This isn't surprising, as my experiences with the Knox College Choir were what first got me interested in composition. I also find a great deal of inspiration in literature. Artistically speaking, I seek to write music that breaks established artistic binaries—traditional vs. modern, accessible vs. unfamiliar—to create art that is fulfilling to as wide an audience as possible, and that can be challenging in some way, yet ultimately enjoyable, to performers and audiences alike.

You've had a string of successes over the past few years. How has this impacted your music-making?

Being a career composer is not easy, and even with a few hefty commissions under my belt, I do not make enough just from composing to totally support myself. I make ends meet by driving for Uber and taking as many singing gigs as possible; I currently sing in a number of professional choirs, including the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Festival Chorus. But I feel very encouraged, and whenever I feel as though I may not be cut out for this, my successes serve to remind me that yes, I absolutely am.

You received a master of music degree in composition from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. How did your time at Knox prepare you for your graduate education?

I think the most incredible thing about the composition program at Roosevelt is that every student is spectacularly different, not just in terms of compositional style but also in educational/musical backgrounds. Knox gave me a true liberal arts experience that allowed me to explore a multitude of different subjects including English Literature and Gender and Women's Studies, for which I will forever be grateful. It is thanks to Knox that I consider myself a worthy component of the rich diversity of Roosevelt's music program.

You undertook an honors project in composition. What impact did this have on you?

Since Knox only offered one course on the subject, it was a great way for me to continue studying with [Professor of Music] Bruce Polay and learn as much as I could from him. My project was to compose a full mass setting for a cappella choir. Completing that project taught me many invaluable things, including working against a deadline, adhering to a daily composing schedule, structuring a relatively large-scale composition (the longest piece I had ever written was only four minutes), and presenting and defending my work before a jury.

Photo is courtesy of Mike Grittani Photography.