Biography
Photo: Fu
Steph Davis is a highly acclaimed marimbist and cultural activist. Through the marimba, Davis explores the cultural and political landscape of the African diaspora, with a focus on contemporary African American cultural and national identity. Drawing from the Black classical music tradition, various West African xylophone traditions, African American folklore, and the ancient Egyptian concept of maat (truth), Davis’s work is anthropological in form and political in tone, using music to inspire rememory, truth-telling, and vulnerability.
A WBUR 2026 "Maker" honoree, Davis has contributed over 40 works by Black composers to the marimba’s solo and chamber repertoire through their arranging, composing, and commissioning efforts. Described by The Washington Post as a "crisp, controlled" performer who brings "bright humanity and expressive depth" to contemporary music, he has performed hundreds of concerts as a soloist and chamber musician, in addition to creating multidisciplinary performances and sound-visual art installations. Encompassing classical music from the African continent and diaspora, western Europe, and the United States, and traditional music of African America and northern Ghana, Davis’s performances push the boundaries of genre and explore the interiority of African American culture and subjectivity. Currently, Davis is touring a The Prayers of Black Folk, a solo marimba program, and Gray Space | Blue Skies, an original marimba ballet with choreography by Jenny Oliver. Davis proudly endorses Marimba One instruments and mallets as a Marimba One Premier Artist.
Described as “thrilling” and “evocative” by The Washington Post, Davis’s compositions have been performed in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. They have received commissions from New Works Project, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Spectrum Ensemble, Prism Percussion, Modern Marimba, Britton-René Collins, and Cameron Denby.
A passionate educator, Davis is a teaching artist with Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based Black arts institution, and an instructor of music theory at the Boston Conservatory. He has presented masterclasses at the Boston Conservatory, University of Central Florida, University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University, and the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion, and educational residencies at the Boston Children’s Chorus and Boston Children’s Museum. His is a sought after writer about African American classical music, with publications by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Castle of our Skins, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Davis has been awarded residencies at Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Boston Center for the Arts, and the Goethe-Institut Boston, and fellowships with Antenna Cloud Farm and Music for Food. His work has been supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, City of Boston Arts and Culture, and Cambridge Arts Council. He was a semifinalist in the Southern California Marimba International Artist Competition and a finalist in the Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition.
Davis received his Master of Music in marimba performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he studied with Nancy Zeltsman. He also holds a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from the Conservatory. Other areas of study include African American history, ethnomusicology, music of the African diaspora, and African philosophy. Davis currently studies gyil with gyil master SK Kakraba. He serves on the boards of directors of Castle of our Skins.
Davis resides on unceded land of the Neponset band of the Massachusett tribe, bordertown Dorchester, Boston, MA.
