Nick davies

Founder and Artistic Director | Clarinet

Nick Davies is the Bass/Utility Clarinet of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and 2nd/Bass Clarinet of Central City Opera. Previously, Nick was Principal Clarinet of the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds, in addition to holding positions as Bass/Utility Clarinet with the Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. He has performed with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and frequently performs as guest principal with the Bozeman Symphony.

As a soloist, Nick has performed Frank Ticheli’s Clarinet Concerto alongside the composer, and has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Boston Civic Symphony, Lakewood Symphony, Antelope Valley Symphony, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the USC Wind Ensemble. Other honors include taking First Place in the Pasadena Showcase Competition, Gold Medal in the Young Texas Artist competition, and Third Place in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition with his woodwind quintet, The Prismatics. 

Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. Nick has commissioned many composers for new works with the aim of expanding the repertoire, especially works for clarinet and string quartet. Composers include Sarah Gibson, Karim Al-Zand, Derek David, Theo Chandler and Howard Frazin among others. Unusually for a clarinettist, he is strongly interested in music of the Baroque and music prior to 1600, long before the modern clarinet existed. By arranging, reimagining and building a catalog of works for clarinet from this era, he hopes to both celebrate and promote interest in older music.

As a composer, his works reflect his interest in music of all eras, often exploring a dialogue between modern and ancient. His recently premiered solo violin work, Membra Nostri, is representative of this style, paying homage to Dietrich Buxtehude's composition of a similar name while meditating upon the ecstatic quality of baroque liturgical music. Among his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Webster Trio, WordSong and the Chicago Harp Quartet. 

Mr. Davies enjoys exploring all these elements of his musical interests through the Massachusetts-based chamber music festival, The Rossini Club, of which he is the artistic director and founder. Through adventurous and thoughtfully curated programming, the Rossini Club aims to pique the curious listener's ear and broaden the experience of what art can be.

Nick holds a Bachelor's in Music from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and two Master's in Music from the University of Southern California, where he studied clarinet with Yehuda Gilad and composition with Donald Crockett and Andrew Norman.