Steph Davis

Steph Davis (they/them/their) is a marimbist, arranger, composer, educator, cultural activist, and researcher. Their work engages people, traditions, and technologies of the African diaspora as means for uncovering truthful historiographies, finding creative self-actualization, and reaching for collective liberation.

Hailed as a "captivating" performer who brings "bright humanity and expressive depth" to contemporary music (Washington Post), Steph enjoys a musical life as a marimba soloist and chamber musician. Their repertoire spans a wide variety of musical styles, including African American folk, Western classical, post-modern, and contemporary music, with a focus on composers of African descent. A passionate collaborator, they have performed chamber music with noted artists and ensembles; including grammy-nominated flutist Nathalie Joachim, PaviElle French, Mazz Swift, Michi Wianco, Castle of Our Skins, and New Gallery Concert Series. As an arranger, commissioner, and composer, Steph has contributed over 20 works by Black composers to the marimba's solo and chamber repertoire. They have premiered works by Avik Chari, Christa Duggan, Damien Geter, Alissa Voth, Pamela Z, and Bilin Zheng. Steph is a Marimba One Artist.

 A passionate researcher on music of the African diaspora, Steph is a teaching artist with Castle of our Skins, a Black arts institution. As part of this role, they led a teaching residency at Boston Children's Chorus around spirituals and Harriet Tubman. Steph's scholarship on music by Anthony Davis and Ulysses Kay has appeared in publications by Castle of our Skins and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, respectively. Steph maintains a small private marimba studio and coaches chamber ensembles in Greater Boston.

Steph was awarded an ACTivate residency at Boston Center for the Arts, was a semifinalist in the Southern California Marimba International Artist Competition, and a finalist in the Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition. They have been awarded artist fellowships with the Antenna Cloud Farm Experimental Institute, a liberatory arts institution, and Music for Food, a music organization fighting food insecurity in various communities across the United States. Steph serves on the board of directors of Castle of our Skins and Modern Marimba.

Steph received their B.M. in percussion performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where they are currently pursuing a M.M. in marimba performance. Additionally, they studied music composition, African American history/music, and music theory. Their primary teachers include Nancy Zeltsman (marimba) and Sam Solomon (percussion). Steph resides on land of the Massachusett people, also known as Boston, MA.

To learn more about Steph, visit their website here.