Orbert Davis

Trumpeter, composer Orbert Davis is co-founder, conductor and artistic director of CHICAGO JAZZ PHILHARMONIC, a 55+ piece jazz-symphonic orchestra dedicated to multi-genre projects. Orbert is also clinical associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Winner of the 1995 Cognac Hennessy National Jazz Search, Orbert was chosen one of Chicago Tribune's “1995 Arts People of the Year”. Chicago Magazine named him “Y2k Best Trumpeter in Chicago” and “Chicagoan of the Year for 2002”.

Along with his business partner Mark Ingram, Orbert owns and operates ORBARK PRODUCTIONS. Their credits include projects for Atlantic, Capitol, CBS, Epic, MCA, the Warner Brothers record labels and several feature films. He was jazz consultant for Academy Award winning director, Sam Mendes, on the DreamWorks Pictures feature film “Road to Perdition”, starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, where he also had a cameo appearance.

Recent projects includes the critically acclaimed documentary “Beauty Rises: Four Lives in the Arts”, produced by WTTW and the Illinois Arts Council and “Concierto for Generation I”, a work commissioned by Nissan/Infiniti, inspired by the 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan. “Concierto for Generation I” was part of the 2007 “Infiniti In Black” national advertising campaign which included a 2-page full-color ad of Orbert and the G35 in Ebony, Vibe, Essence and Black Enterprise magazines as well as online video documentary presentations.

Orbert's 2004 CD release entitled “Blue Notes”, was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed “Priority” CD, which garnered an LA Times 4-star review, hit Top-50 “most played on national radio” Jazz CDs in 2002 and was named Top-10 best Jazz CDs of 2002 by the Chicago Tribune. His latest CD, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic’s “Collective Creativity” (2009), an amalgamation of classical music and jazz, is receiving rave reviews on the national stage as well.

In 1998 Davis and Ingram founded “Jazz Alive,” (formerly known as “MusicAlive” and now the Arts Education outreach arm of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic) an interdisciplinary enrichment program that focuses on teaching life and academic skills through music and the Arts. Currently running in 7 Chicago Public Schools, the program also seeks to create and develop “jazz bands” at the elementary school level.

Mr. Davis has a Bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from DePaul University and a Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University. He lives in Chicago with his wife Lisa, their two daughters, Zoe and Sydney, and their son, Donovan.

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