Dr. Vanessa Davis is a clarinetist, professor, and writer based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.

As a performer, she plays Clarinet and Bass Clarinet in the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, second and Eb clarinet in the Mesquite Symphony, and actively freelances. She has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Canada. Her creative work centers around the versatility of the clarinet as an unaccompanied instrument. She also is passionate about furthering the understanding of music written by composers from historically underrepresented backgrounds through commissioning,  performing, and writing in order to contribute to the creation of a new standard repertoire. 

Currently, she teaches at  McLennan College, North Central Texas College, and Laredo College. ​Her students have been successful in reaching their goals. She has also taught at Stephen F. Austin State University, the University of North Texas, and Ithaca College. 

An active member of the clarinet community she is the Chair of the International Clarinet Association College and Pre-Professional Engagement Committee and an audio and book reviewer for The Clarinet Journal.  As a writer, she has contributed to The Clarinet Journal, Symposium, the NACWPI Journal, and The Instrumentalist. Her dissertation won the Toulouse Dissertation Award in Fine Arts.

Vanessa is a Buffet Crampon Performing Artist and a D'Addario Woodwind Artist. She plays on both Wodkowski Philadelphia Mouthpieces with a silver Ishimori Ligature. She holds a doctorate in Clarinet Performance.