Versatile oboist, educator joins ASU's Herberger music faculty

Jonathan Davis, a professional oboist, studio musician and educator, joins the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, part of Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, as an assistant professor of oboe.

“We are thrilled that Jonathan Davis has joined the faculty,” said Heather Landes, director of the ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre. “Dr. Davis brings a wealth of experience through his multifaceted career as a studio, orchestral and chamber musician to our students and school. His pedagogical emphasis on developing the individual and his forward-thinking views on community engagement align well with our school’s mission.”

Davis has played concertos, solo and chamber music recitals, and contemporary music. He has also played with orchestras of varying sizes, for Broadway productions and ballet companies, and has recorded soundtracks for numerous movies.

“I have had a very broad education in the university, in the conservatory and in the professional world,” he said. “These real-world experiences are very useful to me as a teacher.”

Davis said he was attracted to the School of Music, Dance and Theatre because of the school’s mission statement.

“The idea that we are looking to the future — that it's not going to be the same as it has been — and that it's rooted in community is the same as how I feel about music,” said Davis. “People are moved by music wherever they are experiencing it — in a church, at a dance or somewhere else. I feel that one of the challenges of modern life is people being disconnected, and music is something that reconnects us. The school’s idea of the inclusivity, the community and the focus on a new way of doing things was tremendously appealing.”

Davis began his musical career at an early age with a mother who was a professional musician, an organist and choir director. In sixth grade, he started teaching fourth, fifth and other sixth graders about music. Davis said he learned what works and what does not work from watching his own lessons and from watching other teachers.

“I love to teach, and I've been so blessed with some extraordinary teachers,” he said.

After high school, Davis attended The Juilliard School for one year and then pursued a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies at Yale University while continuing to study oboe with his Juilliard teacher. Davis returned to Juilliard to earn a Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts.

“I have appreciated the breadth of the university education,” said Davis. “I took a wide range of classes in history and philosophy and literature, and I feel that has enriched my performance and also my teaching.”

Davis said he appreciates both the broader set of knowledge from the university setting and the deep dive from the conservatory.

He has performed with national orchestras such as the San Diego Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hartford Symphony, the New York Woodwind Quintet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, among others.

In addition, he has played for numerous Broadway productions and national ballet companies and recorded more than 50 soundtracks as a studio musician, including for “Spiderman 2,” “Moana” and “Inside Out 2.”

He has taught at the Herb Alpert School of Music at the University of California, Los Angeles for nearly 20 years and at Juilliard for three years.

As an educator, Davis believes rhythm training and pitch accuracy are two important skills every student should learn. He said 90% of people are eliminated in an audition because of rhythm.

“Different kinds of playing require slightly different skills,” said Davis. “I teach my students to be prepared for those differences. The opportunities for being an orchestral music specialist or a recorded music specialist are less available than they used to be, so musicians need to be adaptable. They need to be prepared to take an audition with a wide skill set.”

Davis said that having a broad performing career gives students scaffolding to become a professional musician.

“Some students are worried about music as a career, but music is more than a career,” said Davis. “It is fundamental to humanity. It crosses all cultures. To look at it as a trade is selling it short — it is much more than that.”