► ARTICLE ► "Brent Michael Davids is an amazing indigenous composer. He had this passion project which he had been working on for almost over 20 years. Of course, that resonated with me, so I helped him organize it. It’s about the genocidal founding of America, aiming to help us all confront our past, not through opinion but through the actual words of the perpetrators and of survivors" (Cerise Jacobs). ► LINK ► https://www.opera-now.com/content/features/small-company-focus-white-snake-projects

► ARTICLE ► "I now find myself in a privileged position to look behind the stereotypes of America and explore its multifaceted history through surprising voices. Making America takes a deep dive into these unique American voices, unfolding across four concerts with familiar masterpieces from immigrants like Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, from John Adams’s orchestral universe, Harmonielehre, to Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo Suite. A new work by jazz great Billy Childs featuring saxophonist Stephen Banks explores the African American diaspora plus myths and icons meet in Du Yun’s Hundred Heads and British composer Ryan Latimer’s Bestia for trumpeter Selina Ott. But the highlight for me is the world premiere of Requiem for America by Native American composer Brent Michael Davids. This important new work will feature Davids himself on Native American flute, an ensemble of eight Native American performers alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Teddy Abrams." ► LINK ► https://www.classical-music.com/articles/making-america-bbc-symphony

► ANNOUNCED ► Conductor TEDDY ABRAMS explores the American melting pot. With the BBC Symphony he conducts the world premiere of Mohican/Munsee-Lenape composer Brent Michael Davids’s monumental 19-movement Requiem for America, which combines Indigenous letters with founding-era genocidal texts to reflect on the dark foundations of the United States. The performance features Davids himself on Native American flute, as well as the BBC Symphony Chorus (May 17).
► LINK  ► https://21cmediagroup.com/teddy-abramss-winter-spring-2026-explores-the-american-melting-pot/

► WORLD PREMIERE ► Mohican/Munsee-Lenape composer Brent Michael Davids’s Requiem pairs Indigenous letters with founding-era genocidal texts to lay bare the dark foundations of the USA. A contralto narrator guides us from the "Requiem Aeternam–Doctrine of Discovery" to the final "Threnoedia–We Are Still Here." Commissioned by White Snake Projects and The Lenape Center. Features BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Native American Singers & 5 Opera Soloists. ► Airs on BBC Radio 3. TICKETS https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e8r6gw

▇► PODCAST ► Composer Brent Michael Davids discusses Requiem for America—a sweeping musical reckoning with the genocidal foundations of the United States, told through Indigenous voices. Blending Native American musical traditions with orchestral forces, the piece confronts history through texts both personal and political, culminating in a message of resilience: “We Are Still Here.” A selection of Davids’s music offers a deeper window into his singular artistic voice and lifelong mission. MUSIC: Uncovered Wagon, Tinnitus Quartet, On Lenape Soil, Trumpeting the Stone. ► LISTEN ► https://relevanttones.com/2026/04/20/474-brent-michael-davids-american-requiem/