Ryan Davis / Radia

“A violist unlike any other” (Stir Vancouver), Canadian Ryan Davis has emerged as a singular creative force. Performing under the moniker Radia, he has earned acclaim as a composer-performer who blends his classical training with influences of folk, electronic, and hip-hop music. Hailed as an “electronic Wunderkind” (OperaRamblings), he delights in redefining the viola’s profile and moving seamlessly between creative spaces. His concertizing has taken him across Canada’s major concert halls, including joining musicians such as Grammy-award winning pop sensation Laufey onstage, and performing for NBA players in talent shows. He was named an Artistic Partner with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra for the 2022 season, and the following year, he enjoyed a collaborative touring partnership with the Juno-winning ensemble Gryphon Trio. His work has been featured in Toronto’s Koerner Hall, CBC Radio, The Violin Channel, Los Angeles’s Skid Row, and ABC Channel 7 News LA. Davis was the principal violist of the Colburn Orchestra’s 2018 tour of Scotland and Ireland, and was selected by the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra as their principal violist for the 2017 summer festival, with featured performances in KKL Luzern, Kolner Philharmonie, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. As a guest violist, he joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for their 2023 tour performances in Carnegie Hall and Chicago Symphony Center.

In 2021, Davis was named one of “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” by CBC Music. Of Glow & Abandon, his debut EP of original compositions for the viola and electronics, was released on all major platforms the same year, “showcasing multitudes of colours and possibilities, with much skill and imagination” (The WholeNote).

He completed studies at McGill University, Yale University, and The Colburn School under André Roy, Ettore Causa, and Paul Coletti, later becoming the first ever violist to receive the Rebanks Fellowship Residency at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

For more information, visit www.ryandavisviola.com / @radiaviola.