Live performance by the Samford University A Cappella Choir
Dr. Philip L. Copeland, Director
Recorded at A. Hamilton Reid Chapel, Samford University
September 20, 2022

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
–John 8:12 (NIV) 
*Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version™, NIV™ Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 
The “NIV”, “New International Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. 
Music copyright © 2006, 2013 Joel Scott Davis (BMI) 
All Rights Reserved.

I Am The Light Of The World (John 8:12)

Movement II from String Quartet No. 1: VESPERS
Performed by the Samford String Quartet
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jason Robins
From the 2019 independent album "Sacred Music for String Quartet"
Copyright © 2016 Joel Scott Davis (BMI)
All Rights Reserved.

Sacred Music

Antiphons - Benedictions (from String Quartet No. 1: VESPERS) [studio version]

Movement I from Spiritual Songs for Baritone & String Quartet
Performed by Joseph Hopkins and the Samford String Quartet 
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jason Robins
From the 2019 independent album "Sacred Music for String Quartet"
This Arr. Copyright © 2016 Joel Scott Davis (BMI)
All Rights Reserved.

Spiritual Songs, Mvt I: My Lord, What a Morning!

Premiere performance of "Romanze (Aurora)" by The BAMA Players live at Hulsey Recital Hall, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, April 30, 2019.

Live at Hulsey Recital Hall, April 30, 2019

Romanze (Aurora)

The Sands Of Time

2016 live performance by Dr. Kathryn Fouse 

Nocturne for Lauren Ansley

String Quartet no. 1 - "Vespers" III. Jubilations

SPIRITUAL SONGS, Mvt. I - My Lord, What A Morning!

SPIRITUAL SONGS, Mvt. IV - Joshua Fought The Battle (in the halls and walls of Jericho)

SPIRITUAL SONGS, Mvt. II - Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

SPIRITUAL SONGS, Mvt. III - Great Day!

Live performance by the Samford String Quartet of "Antiphons––Benedictions" from String Quartet No.1: VESPERS (Recorded at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison AL on November 5, 2017).
For video of the 2016 premiere performance of the VESPERS Quartet in its entirety, see https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdURpE_kuM3KUw3VJpkfH0bOZebJoslcI

SSQ Live - Music at Messiah Concert Series

2017 Live Performance of Antiphons – Benedictions from String Quartet No. 1: Vespers

At a young age, Joel Scott Davis has already made a name for himself as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. His commissioned compositions have been widely performed and recorded, both nationally and internationally, by the likes of Duo46, the Samford String Quartet, the Amernet String Quartet, the Shades Mountain Orchestra, the Cahaba Saxophone Quartet, and other professional, collegiate, and church ensembles at such esteemed venues as Carnegie Hall, the Palais Ferstel in Vienna, and Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire, England. His original film scores have been featured in international film festivals, as well as national television and Internet broadcasts. Davis’s music spans a broad range of styles, genres, and emotions; critics such as Michael Huebner of The Birmingham News have praised his music for its “honest beauty” and "heartfelt harmonies," while others have lauded its balance of “craftsmanship, sincerity, and musical imagination.” His work has garnered favorable reviews from American Record Guide and Fanfare magazines, among others.

Recently, Davis's String Quartet No. 1: Vespers was recognized as a semi-finalist and honorable mention for the 2017-2018 American Prize in Composition, and his song cycle Songs of Liberty was named a semi-finalist for the 2016-20127 American Prize. As an orchestrator, Davis has worked on studio projects for Brentwood Benson / Captiol CMG Publishing, as well as concert hall works involving the San Francisco Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Academy Awards Orchestra, and the Grand Rapids Symphony.

An alumnus of the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts, Davis holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from Samford University and Claremont Graduate University. He has studied with, and served as assistant to, Grammy-nominated composer Peter Boyer at Claremont Graduate University. Other teachers and mentors include Edward David Zeliff, James A. Jensen, Bobby Horton, Rebecca Remley, and Bob Burroughs. He has participated in master classes, seminars, and rehearsals with William Bolcom, Lowell Liebermann, Eric Whitacre, the late Steven Stucky, Samuel Jones, Robert Sirota, and Kurt Heinecke. 

Davis serves as Professor and Interim Chair of the Division of Music in the School of the Arts at Samford University, where he was recently recognized as the 2019 recipient of the John H. Buchanan Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has held previous teaching appointments at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as well as Claremont Graduate University.

Joel Scott Davis

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