Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyson Marie Davis.
Hi Alyson, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi everyone, my name is Alyson Marie Davis and my cello story begins 20 years ago when I was 3 years old. I was born into a very musical family. My mother was an orchestra director, my father a band director, my grandmothers and aunt were piano teachers, my sister a violinist, and my cousin a harpist. So, when the time came for me to choose an instrument, I was determined to have a cello. So determined, in fact, that I asked Santa Clause for one, and sure enough he delivered!
My very first teacher was my mother who was a cellist, too. She taught me everything she knew for the first few years of my learning. It was great because she treated me just like the other students that were my age. She enrolled me into every possible music and orchestra event she could including The New Conservatory of Dallas Orchestra. We traveled to all different kinds of music camps and festivals together, and when I got older, I traveled solo. Some of these include Tanglewood, Philadelphia International Music Festival, and Baylor Summer Music Camp. I made so many life-long friends by traveling to these festivals, many of which I am still in touch with to this day and perform with regularly. My favorite of those festivals was Music in the Mountains in Colorado. That was where I met principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Adkins. It was perfect timing because I was ready to move onto a new stage of my cello experience to which I became his student. I learned so much from Mr. Adkins that I would not even know where to begin to describe it all. But I can say this: He taught me to open my mind to what it meant not only to be a great cellist, but also a great musician. In high school, he led me to my next teacher, Jennifer Humphreys, former DSO cellist. She taught me to not be afraid of the possibilities I am capable of.
Through the years, I performed and auditioned constantly. Alongside cello, I took piano lessons from my grandmother and French horn lessons from my then-teacher, Sarrah McCoy. I was part of both my school’s orchestra program and band program. I worked my hardest and earned numerous credentials and awards in high school at the Texas State Level.
After graduating high school, I was accepted into Southern Methodist University. I’m proud to say that I graduated in 2021 with a BM in Cello Performance from their music school, Meadows. During my undergraduate education, I became a student of cello soloist, Andres Diaz. From him, I learned how and what it took to be a great performer. I learned things about the cello from perspectives that I had not known were possible. He opened my eyes and encouraged me to push my limits to really see how far I can go. To this day I’m still pushing and I don’t plan on stopping.
As of now, I am a graduate student at SMU earning my Performance Diploma under the continued instruction of Mr. Diaz as well as retired symphony maestro, Dr. Paul Phillips. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2023. To earn a living and further my career I travel around Dallas and Fort Worth to play at social events, weddings, and ceremonies. Every so often I even get the pleasure of performing at these events and concerts with my accomplished violinist sister, Emily Burak. One of my favorite groups to gig with is ROCKESTRA founded by Buffi Jacobs of The Polyphonic Spree. We’re hired around DFW for all different kinds of events, playing everyone’s pop and rock favorites. This past year I have found a love of teaching and now have a lesson studio of young cellists that I teach in Richardson ISD. On top of that, I’m getting married this November to my best friend and love of my life! Needless to say, I am eternally grateful for everyone that has brought me to this point. I am excited to see where I will go next!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I recognize that I’ve been very blessed to have been given opportunities that don’t come around very often to everyone. Therefore, the type of challenges that I faced were not outward challenges per se, but rather inward challenges. For example, I used to have stage fright when I was very young. The only way to overcome that was to just go out there do it. Go out and perform my best no matter what happened and to be ready for anything if something unexpected were to happen. My former teacher Mr. Adkins taught me that the fear does not go away, but rather you learn to channel that energy into a different and positive way. One of his many, many sayings is “Don’t let fear be anywhere near the driver’s seat. Let it silently stay in the back unable to even turn on the radio.”
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I was classically trained from a young age. I specialized in composers such Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky to name a few. However, I am capable of other genres in the mainstream pop culture.
Something that makes me special is that I have what is known as Perfect Pitch. I can hear any note played by any instrument and name it instantaneously. This means I can also hear any song and play it back to you. It comes in very handy during pop concert gigs where people tend to have requests.
As of now, I am most proud of my Fall 2018 cello recital where I performed the first 3 Bach Cello Suites by memory as well as my Fall 2021 Performance Degree recital where I played pieces such as Cello Bach Suite No. 6, Duet for Two Cellos by F. A. Kummer, Fancy on a Bach Air by John Corigliano, as well as other classical and contemporary works.
What sets me apart from others is that I always play from my heart and never put on a surface-level performance. I put my soul into every note and piece of music that I play as if each one is the most beautiful thing in the world and deserves such attention.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something I’ve noticed people are surprised about is that I do not play cello because it was “expected” of me to be a musician considering my family’s background. I was never forced to pursue something that I did not want to pursue. I genuinely play the cello because I love it and it gives me joy. It also gives me joy to play for others and share with them the happiness my music has given me.
Also, people are surprised when I mention that I played piano for 9 years of my life and French horn for 7 years.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alysonmarie.cello
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgzqdbRUfYFV6OLO9kKTZDw/featured
Image Credits
Jaycee Shepherd
Austin Prator
