She says she appreciates the support from her companions as well.

“Orchestral music here is not competitive like it is at a conservatory,” she says.

Apart from her concentration requirements for biological and social anthropology, Davis spends almost all her time in music classes. She has taken Music 180r: “Performance and Analysis: Seminar” three times, and calls it her favorite: “The people who play in that class are such incredible musicians, such a joy to listen to.”

As for Music 93r: “Supervised Reading and Research,” “a chamber music class you can take over and over again,” she’s on semester number seven.

Still, Davis says she has some complaints about the lack of resources for those in her situation.

“There are no instrumental teachers here,” she says.

She takes lessons from James Somerville, the principal horn in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. But private lessons are expensive, and she says with all her other musical commitments there’s no time for a job. She says the OFA offers a yearly $200 grant for such costs, “but I’ve applied for it every year and still haven’t gotten it.”

Davis says she’s thrilled to receive the Sudler Prize. She says she’s honored that her devotion to music has been recognized, but adds that “any of my senior colleagues in the music department deserve it just as much.” As for the $1,000 cash prize, “it’s going to my lessons,” she says with a laugh.

Davis is still planning for next year. She’s been extremely busy with concerts and auditions: “Auditions were my thesis.” She has over ten concerts in the next three weeks alone.

Davis was originally unsure about whether to attend university or a conservatory.

“I knew I wanted to play professionally,” she says, “but how could I turn Harvard down?”

She eventually decided she didn’t want to limit herself solely to music. Four years later, she says, “it’s the best decision I ever made.”

—Jayme J. Herschkopf

Elizabeth A. Little ’03