Dawn Avery, composer
Grammy-nominated world music artist Dawn Avery creates a contemporary soundscape from contemplative, folk, pop, and classical elements. Her calmly passionate vocals and soaring cello lines reflect a deep spirituality rooted in her Native American heritage and love of sacred traditions around the world.
A prolific composer and active performer, Dawn Avery has worked with musical luminaries Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Phillip Glass, John Cage, John Cale, David Darling, Glen Velez, and R. Carlos Nakai. Performance projects range from musical theatre to world and music and recordings and performances.
Avery’s recent multi-media projects and recordings include the Global Music Award-winning CD 50 Shades of Red (2014). Avery is also composing music for film and theatre productions. The 2017 album Crane on Earth, in Sky: a Journey won two silver medals for best album and best World Music for theatre by the Global Music Awards. She has composed music for award-winning films including Tadpole featuring John Ritter and Susan Sarandon and Basquiat, directed by Julian Schnabel on Miramax Films. She composed and performed on many Native American documentaries, including some produced by Rich/Heape, and the Smithsonian’s Always Becoming by Nora Naranjo-Morse.
Dawn Avery is also an award-winning educator. Nurturing future generations, Dawn Avery runs a World Music program at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD where she is a full professor. She holds a BM from the Manhattan School of Music, a MFA from NYU and a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, College Park with primary research in native classical contemporary composition and the application of Indigenous research techniques. Dr. Avery received the 2011 United States Professor of the Year award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.