Sakinah A. Davis, DMA is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Director of Opera Workshop at Xavier University of Louisiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music at Spelman College, then completed her training at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with degrees in classical voice performance and a cognate in ethnomusicology. While actively performing as a soprano, Davis has held positions at Perimeter College of Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College and the El Sistema-inspired Atlanta Music Project as a vocal instructor, lecturer and choral director. She has worked as a clinician and lecturer with public arts organizations such as the New Orleans Opera Association and MUSE Machine in Dayton, OH. Most recently, she has performed as a featured soloist with the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans and OperaCréole and has participated in cohorts with the Future of Music Faculty Fellowship (2022-2023) and the National Association for Teachers of Singing Internship (2024). Her research interests include Spanish language vocal repertoire and intersections between opera and the African Diaspora, the latter which will be her focus for her residency with A Studio in the Woods. Her specific project for the residency centers on use of the archives to examine the often-marginalized influence and participation of South Carolinian Black and Gullah communities in performances of George Gershwin’s famous opera, “Porgy and Bess”.

Headshot by Marsha N. Wilson Photography