Vanessa Davis is a clarinetist based in Dallas. She performs in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas most recently with the Las Colinas Symphony, Longview Symphony, Allen Philharmonic, and Texarkana Symphony. Prior to that, she worked in the Finger Lakes New York and the Boston area.
A committed teacher and mentor, Vanessa helps students reach their goals through careful planning, guided practice, and consistency at McLennan College (Applied Clarinet and Chamber Music), North Central Texas College (Applied Clarinet and Music Appreciation), Dallas College (Applied Clarinet), and Laredo College (Applied Woodwinds) and as a Clarinet Specialist in select and competitive Texas school programs. She is passionate about preparing students for the future that awaits them outside of school and actively encourages them to look outside the box to create a career that supports their passions and interests.
Vanessa is an active member of the clarinet community. She currently serves as Chair of the International Clarinet Association College and Pre-Professional Engagement Committee. She regularly performs at the organization’s annual international gathering, ClarinetFest®. In 2023 she premiered a new work for clarinet and electronics and chaired a two-part series of lectures, “Getting the Most Out of Your Degree.” As a writer, she has contributed to The Clarinet Journal, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Journal, the Symposium Journal of the College Music Society, and The Instrumentalist.
Vanessa serves as the Audio Reviews Editor for the NACWPI Journal and on the Board of the International Alliance for Women in Music where she is a member of the Global Initiatives Committee.
Vanessa is a Buffet Crampon Performing Artist and a D’Addario Woodwind Artist. She holds a Doctorate in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas where her dissertation won the Toulouse Dissertation Award in Fine Arts. She studied with Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano and Daryl Coad. She has studied with Richard MacDowell, Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson, and David Seiler. She currently resides in Cedar Hill with her husband and their two dogs, Charlie and Penelope.