DeAunn Davis loves the French horn: the look of it, that incredible sound, the feel of holding and playing it. From the first dizzying note, she was hooked! What came next was an electrifying life full of travel, friends from around the world, fascinating experiences in interesting places, and countless hours of beautiful music making.

DeAunn has enjoyed performing for audiences across the United States for decades. She was an artist-in-residence at New England Conservatory with her professional chamber group Fifth House Ensemble. The ensemble also served as artist-in-residence at Yale University, where DeAunn performed in the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library next to a Gutenberg Bible, the first book mass-produced on a printing press. The Boulder Philharmonic, DeAunn’s orchestra since 2013, headlined the SHIFT Orchestra Festival in Washington, D.C at the Kennedy Center. She has been a featured guest chamber artist for the Cactus Pear Festival in San Antonio, and traveled to Haiti as a guest artist for the Ecole de Musique Sainte Trinité Woodwind Festival in Port-au-Prince. In California and Utah, she recorded video game soundtracks in studio, and played behind Jake Shimabukuro at Honolulu’s Waikiki Shell. One of DeAunn’s most moving musical experiences was performing on Marin Alsop’s last concert for the Cabrillo Festival, featuring the devastatingly powerful Symphony No. 1 by John Corigliano, also in attendance.

During her time in Chicago, DeAunn played at the Chicago Cultural Center many times with Fifth House and with New Millenium Orchestra. As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, she performed regularly in Chicago’s Symphony Hall. DeAunn played on the Dame Myra Hess concert series with Fifth House and at the Chicago History Museum with the Omega Brass Quintet. She has also performed at the Grant Park Concert Shell, in an experimental improv hip-hop group composed of classical instruments.

Together, DeAunn and husband Adam Snider form Brass Quest, "your new favorite French horn + tuba oldies cover band," for which DeAunn is the primary arranger. Brass Quest was recently featured as a "Rising Star" in online webzine. DeAunn has been a member of the Boulder Philharmonic since 2013, has performed with the Utah Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Monterey Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and Civic Orchestra of Chicago, among others, and was a founding member of Fifth House. DeAunn has also enjoyed spending time in the “pits” of Ohio Light Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, and Central City Opera.

An experienced soloist, DeAunn has been featured in front of an orchestra six times. She commissioned works by Christopher Dietz (horn, piano) and Matthew Durrant (horn, tuba, piano). DeAunn was awarded a Nevada Jackpot Grant to produce “Dance for Two,” a collaborative ballet danced to Rheinhold Gliere’s Horn Concerto. She is the driving force behind Brass Quest digital releases “A Visit From St. Nick,” for which she composed music and sculpted clay figurines, and “Adam & DeAunn’s Love Song Cover Band.” She also created a virtual Horn Masterclass Series, available for free on her Youtube channel.

DeAunn has taught French horn at the University of Utah; University of Nevada, Reno (UNR); Colorado State University (CSU); and Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has presented masterclasses at Arizona State University; University of Alabama; University of Georgia, Athens (UGA); Vanderbilt University; University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH); University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder); University of Denver (DU); and Colorado State University (CSU). DeAunn attended Interlochen Arts Academy, Northwestern University [BM], DePaul University [MM], University of Utah [DMA] where she studied primarily with Gail Williams, Oto Carillo, Jon Boen and Steve Proser.