Dennis Davis

Dennis Davis has presented numerous concerts and recitals throughout the region including performances on National Public Radio and regional television. He has performed for celebrities and dignitaries such as Patrick Swayze, Wynonna Judd, and Dan Quayle, and, for notable events such as "Off Broadway Live," the Miss Kentucky Pageant, and the Grawemeyer Award Concert and Ceremony for Toru Takemitsu. He has performed or shared the stage with Mel Torme, Ben Vereen, Doc Severinsen, and Jeff Tyzik.

As the first guitarist selected as an Honors Recitalist at the University of Kentucky (1991), Mr. Davis holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kentucky (Guitar Performance) and a Master of Music degree from the University of Louisville (Guitar Performance). He has performed in materclasses for Christopher Parkening, Adam Holzman, Sharon Isbin, Frank Koonce, Joseph Hagedorn, and Oscar Ghiglia, among many others. He has received private coaching from David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Eduardo Fernandez, Scott Tennant, William Kanengiser, David Dolata, and Clare Callahan. William Kanengiser described his most recent recital performance, now available on DVD, as "very expressive and solid playing." As a member of the renowned Kentucky Jazz Repertoire Orchestra, Mr. Davis records and performs music by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and numerous other jazz icons. Their most recent recording at the U.K Singletary Center for the Arts, The Music of Ellington and Jack Hylton, has been acquired by the Ellington Archive at the U.S. Library of Congress. In December of 2005 Mr. Davis was invited to join The Lexington Guitar Trio, a group gaining national visibility with its recent CD release Dragons, Moods & Safaris.

Mr. Davis directs the guitar program at Eastern Kentucky University. The EKU curriculum offers preparation in classical and jazz guitar performance, including courses in pedagogy and literature. Scholarships are available for qualified students. The EKU guitar program currently features over 25 graduate and undergraduate music majors. Students enjoy numerous performance opportunities including two touring guitar ensembles, jazz band, studio, and departmental recitals. The annual guitar festival features concerts and masterclasses with nationally recognized artists such as William Kanengiser (2005) and Chris Buzzelli (2004). Mr. Davis presided over the Guitar Society of Lexington-Central Kentucky for more than a decade and has held guitar instruction positions with the University of Kentucky Fine Arts Institute and The Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (Louisville).