Graduate Nicholas Davis moves from the stage to social work

Nicholas Davis feels most at home on the stage. Throughout his career as a professional opera singer, Davis has transformed himself into many characters: The Reverend in "Blue," Minksman in "Flight," Fred McMullin in "The Fix." For the past two years, the man with the mellifluous voice has been auditioning for the role of a lifetime - a social worker.

On May 9, Davis received his master's degree from the Jane Addams College of Social Work. Surprisingly, it was an opera role that led him to the field. As a member of the Holland Community Opera Fellowship at Opera Omaha four years ago, Davis spent his free time helping clients with art projects who were being treated at social service agencies in the Nebraska city. He saw how art can be therapeutic, and after observing how social workers interacted with the clients, he wanted to learn more.

"There was a dedication and passion for their work that inspired me," Davis said. "So, I arranged to stop singing full-time in the summer of 2023 and enrolled at Jane Addams that fall."

From the moment he arrived on campus, Davis and his nontraditional background were embraced by faculty, staff and students. He immersed himself in his social work education, which included experience inside and outside the classroom. Davis was attracted to the Jane Addams College of Social Work for its focus on field work. Students can develop and hone their skills at more than 280 agencies, hospitals and schools in the Chicago area.

Among the many resources available to help ensure student success, We Are Men had the greatest impact on Davis. The group, part of the college, encourages Black men to use their master's degree in social work to assume leadership roles in neighborhoods and community organizations that serve Black men who suffer from trauma.

Davis was accepted into the college's Integrated Behavioral Health Care Training Program, which gave him hands-on experience in primary care settings like family clinics and assisted living facilities. With an interest in mental health, Davis performed his field work at Habilitative Systems Inc., an organization that helps people with developmental disabilities learn important life skills. The experience, he said, has been "wonderfully eye-opening.

"I offer clinical services to young people involved with the organization's violence-prevention program," he said. "I selected this field placement for its history of serving individuals on the West Side of Chicago, and since I've been there, I have learned a great deal about myself and what it means to work in community mental health."

Taking center stage

Davis' life has always been filled with music. The church choir in his hometown of Petersburg, Tennessee, was filled with family members. As a precocious 5-year-old who had never performed before an audience, Davis approached his pastor, who also served as the church's pianist, and asked to sing, "I Know I've Been Changed," a song performed by gospel singer LaShun Pace. He was entranced standing before the congregation and reveled in its reaction. He soon joined the choir, as the group was composed of children like himself.

In high school, he began voice lessons after winning a spot at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts summer program.

"I didn't know what opera was before then. I also had never been in a place where queerness was celebrated," he said. "I didn't come out for years after that, but seeing queer kids who were 'out' enjoying their craft emboldened me to pursue art."

Training under voice instructor Dawn Wood, a protege of the great Romanian-born soprano Virginia Zeani, Davis joined a small ensemble in high school. His first solo with the group was a rendition of the Louis Armstrong hit, "What a Wonderful World," with his first classical solo being Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Call." The performance was the culminating experience of his training at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts summer program.

Gospel artists, especially Tramaine Hawkins and the quartet Fairfield Four, influenced Davis' singing. As his voice began to change, he found gospel difficult to sing with his newfound bass-baritone, which has a big booming sound.

Finding his voice

After high school, Davis enrolled in the University of Kentucky. His first role at the school was Papageno in the undergraduate production of "The Magic Flute."

"I was in the opera chorus prior to that and high school choirs, but I had no experience singing an entire role on stage," Davis said. "I loved it. I was a natural. My teacher at the time described me as a 'stage animal.' Papageno is a comedic role, and I really went for it." Davis also performed regularly in the university's opera program and with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.

Professional singing was Davis' focus. Wanting more experience as a soloist, he entered the University of Michigan's master's degree program. His first major role, at age 23, was as Figaro in "The Marriage of Figaro." His dream of earning a living as a singer was now becoming reality, as his performance catapulted roles on the international stage. He performed in the Czech Republic, Tel Aviv, Italy, the United Kingdom and Toronto, as well as in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Houston and Chicago, among other locales.

Davis is the only American ever to have won the prestigious international Antonin Dvorak competition (named for the famed Czech composer), and he was a regional finalist in the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. His most memorable performances have been in the production of "La fanciulla del West" with the Santa Fe Opera, the production of "Porgy and Bess" with the Seattle Opera and his recital for the Ambassador of United States to the Czech Republic in Prague.

With his new career as a social worker, Davis' performances are less frequent, but the curtain will not go down for good. In the summer of 2024, following his first year at UIC, he performed Nathaniel Dett's "The Ordering of Moses" and in May, he will be performing a modern retelling of Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha" in Chicago.

Now that he's received his degree, Davis plans to keep working in community and mental health. He also has a passion for end-of-life care and is interested in gaining experience in hospice social work.

"Wherever I end up, I want my work to center on supporting the lives and efforts of Black and queer people," Davis said. "Singing has been my life, but I am so fortunate I found social work. I'm excited for my future."