Native Arts & Culture Foundation

[NACF] Hear from 2025 NACF SHIFT Awardee Brent Michael Davids (Stockbridge-Munsee Community), an internationally recognized composer, educator, and music scholar whose career spans nearly five decades. Based in Bowler, Wisconsin, Davids is known for his visionary compositions that merge Western classical forms with Native instrumentation and design. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and on international stages across Europe and Asia.

Project — Davids’ 2025 SHIFT project, “Requiem for America,” is a large-scale orchestral work that “sings for the invisible people,” addressing healing, truth, and systemic change through music. The piece brings together orchestra, chorus, and Native instruments to confront histories of forced removal and amplify Indigenous presence in classical music. Developed in partnership with White Snake Projects, “Requiem for America” will premiere in Boston in 2026 during America’s 250th anniversary and tour nationwide.

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