American composer Anthony Davis is considered a leading figure in contemporary opera, and particularly amongst African-American composers, for his expressions of the real, lived experiences of racism and prejudice in his operas. His works often deal with important moments in African-American history, or focus specifically on key influential figures, such as his biographical work X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X.
Davis's skill as a composer crosses many different styles, and he often incorporates elements of jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, African, and Indonesian music into his other works to illustrate a time period, or a culture, alongside more stylistically classical music. To date, he has written 20 works for stage, and collaborated on many more.
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