Dawn Avery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dawn Avery
Avery in 2019
Background information
Occupation(s)	Composer, cellist, vocalist, educator
Instruments	Cello

Dawn Avery (whose Mohawk name is Ieriho:kwats) is a talented composer, cellist, vocalist, and teacher. She works with many different musicians. Dawn Avery also helps keep Indigenous languages and cultures alive through her music and teaching.

She teaches workshops and takes part in traditional ceremonies. This helps protect important musical traditions. Her music mixes traditional Mohawk sounds with classical music, and even modern styles like downtempo. She was part of a big growth in Native American classical music in the 1990s. Dawn Avery is even listed as one of the top Native classical musicians!

Dawn Avery's Musical Journey

Dawn Avery is very active in protecting Indigenous languages and cultures. She does this as a musician, a teacher, and by taking part in Longhouse ceremonies. She leads workshops and creates projects as part of the Native Composer's Project.

Dawn Avery's Mohawk name is Ieriho:kwats. She belongs to the Turtle Clan. She has a special degree in ethnomusicology, which is the study of music from different cultures. She focused on Native classical music and Indigenous ideas about music. Dawn Avery is also a professor at Montgomery College. In 2012, she was named Maryland Professor of the Year. This was a big award for her teaching work!

Music for Mind and Spirit

Dawn Avery has explored sacred music, which is music connected to spirituality. She has studied how music and spiritual beliefs are linked. She has led groups for meditation and performed spiritual music at many places. These include the Esalen Institute and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. She also performed at the Milan Sacred Music Festival and in Mexico City.

As a leader of meditation and creativity workshops, Avery has worked with famous healers. These include the Dalai Lama and Hilda Charleton. Her album Rapidly Approaching ...: Music for Movement and Meditation has world music beats. It also includes a guided journey for listeners. Another album, Alchemy: Music for Meditation, features her playing cello and singing with other world music artists.

Collaborations and Tours

While Dawn Avery performs on her own, she has also worked with many famous artists. She even received a Grammy nomination! This was for her work as a singer and cellist on Grover Washington's album Breath of Heaven in 1997. Other artists on that album included Luciano Pavarotti and Sting.

Dawn Avery has toured all over the world. She has played Delta blues music with the Soldier String Quartet. She has performed Persian funk with Sussan Deyhim. She has also sung opera with the New York City Opera Company. Avery has also toured with the North American Indian Cello Project. In this project, she performs new classical music pieces by Native composers. She has won awards for her classical works from places like Duke University and NYU.

In 2023, Dawn Avery presented a new work called Sacred World – Onenh’sa. This was at the University of Michigan. It was a new Indigenous sound piece.

Dawn Avery's Albums

Dawn Avery's music is very varied. She explores many different styles. She has said that she is influenced by classical music, world music, rock, and jazz. She also gets ideas from musicians like Ludwig van Beethoven, Coltrane, Pink Floyd, and Sting.

You can hear Dawn Avery's music in several award-winning films. These include Basquiat and Tadpole. Her music is also in the Smithsonian's artwork Always Becoming. Her latest project is 50 Shades of Red. This project combines music, dance, film, and traditional ceremonies.

50 Shades of Red

This album was first shown to the public on October 18, 2014. It was part of a special show at Montgomery College. The show was an hour long. During the show, Dawn Avery also performed a traditional dance to her downtempo Native American music. The main idea throughout the album is love. Some popular songs from this album are "Strawberry Field Forever, My Heart Is Strong," and "My Life with You."

Our Fire

Her 2012 solo album Our Fire: Contemporary Native American Song won several awards. It was nominated for awards like the Indian Summer Awards and the Native American Music Awards.

Our Fire features modern Native songs, choir chants, jazz, and cello music. Dawn Avery sings in English and Mohawk. She also plays the cello. The album was nominated for "Best Songwriting of the Year" by the Native American Music Awards (NAMA). Grammy winner Larry Mitchell played guitar and produced the album.

Alchemy

This album is made for meditation. It was created to help listeners find inner peace and feel more energetic.

True

The album True features music from around the world. It has influences from Africa, Native America, Brazil, Mexico, Greece, and other places. In this album, Dawn Avery sings in many different languages. This album shows her many different musical styles from across the globe. It includes voice, percussion, cello, and guitar.

"Sarabande" or two worlds

Dawn Avery performed a piece called "Sarabande" from Bach's Suite No. 5 for solo cello. She mixed it with her own improvised singing in a traditional style. She also added a Buffalo drum line. This piece was later performed as "two worlds." It shows how two different musical styles can exist together without needing to fully blend.