For 26 years, Dr. Doug Davis has been sharing his musical talents with the California State University community and beyond as a professor of composition and director of the jazz ensemble. CSU Bakersfield jazz groups are consistently among the best at the largest competitive collegiate jazz festival in the western United States, having won in the small group category seven times. In addition, they have twice been awarded the top Community Big Band award and won the top honor as Four-year Collegiate Big Band. In 2003, Dr. Davis established the Legends of Jazz Concert Series that has brought such artists as Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Garrett, and Sammy Nestico. Also in 2003, Davis established the Guest Composer Series that brings six composers annually to the campus for concerts by the CSUB Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and chamber groups. Recent international performances include "Psalm of an Orange Angel" by the Hungarian Symphony and "Token" for voice and orchestra featured at the Ukrainian "Contrasts" festival, both recorded on CRS. In 2005, the International Society of Composers selected "Family Portraits" for their recording of contemporary song cycles and is released on Capstone Records. Davis' list of honors includes a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Harvard's Paine Traveling Fellowship, a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship, a David Van Vactor Composition Award, and two Contemporary Recording Society Awards. He has been selected both CSUB's Outstanding Professor and Alumni Professor of the Year, and has been honored by the community with two Beautiful Bakersfield and five California Arts Council awards. According to Davis, his greatest accomplishments are with students. "To nurture the development of students is the most rewarding challenge of my life" he said. "Helping students gain insight from their perceptions and confidence in their abilities, imagination, and creativity is the great pleasure of being a teacher." Monies he received from winning the prestigious Wang Award in the Visual and Performing Arts now endow a scholarship dedicated to the creation and performance of new music. Source: http://www.dougdavismusic.net/bio