Vanessa Davis

Dr. Vanessa Davis is a performing and teaching clarinetist based in Dallas. Currently she is second clarinet in the Longview Symphony, section clarinetist with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and the second and Eb clarinet of the Mesquite Symphony. She is an active freelance musician in the DFW Metroplex and has performed with the Las Colinas Symphony, Allen Philharmonic, and Texarkana Symphony among others. Prior to that, she was the third and bass clarinetist of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and associate principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Wind Symphony in Boston, while actively performing throughout the Finger Lakes and the Boston areas.

​A committed teacher and mentor, Dr. Davis helps students reach their goals through careful planning, guided practice, and consistency at McLennan College where she teaches Applied Clarinet and Chamber Music. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Davis held positions at East Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Laredo College. She also works 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. 

 Dr. Davis is an active member of the clarinet community. Currently she serves as the Audio Reviews Editor of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI) Journal. She has served as Chair of the International Clarinet Association College and Pre-Professional Engagement Committee as well as the Youth Committee.  She regularly performs at the organization’s annual international gathering, ClarinetFest®, and has performed and given masterclasses around the United States and Europe. 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. 

​Dr. Davis is a Buffet Crampon USA Performing Artist and a D’Addario Woodwind Artist. She holds a Doctorate in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas, where she worked in the Music Education and Wind Studies Department, under Eugene Migliaro Corporon. Her dissertation won the prestigious Toulouse Dissertation Award in Fine Arts. She has had the privilege of studying with Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano, Daryl Coad, Richard MacDowell, Dr. Richard Faria, Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson, and David Seiler.

Office: PAC 116  Phone: (254) 299-8284  Email: vadavis@mclennan.edu