Bass-baritone and countertenor Asher Davison was inducted into music in the Santa Monica public schools; private clarinet study with David Sasaki, including Bach in transcription, convinced him that rhythmic sense is the primary gateway to expressive freedom, a commitment enriched through John Steinmetz’s summer chamber music coaching at Apple Hill in New Hampshire. As a nonmajor at Yale, Asher performed the Copland and Mozart concertos and studied with David Shifrin. While a graduate student in molecular biology at MIT, he deepened into chamber music under composer John Harbison. Since returning to California at the start of the millennium, Asher has become a copyeditor, following upon work in progressive science education development and as a high school chemistry and biology teacher.
Asher has accompanied singers in numerous opera productions and served as a professional chamber coach with CMNC, meanwhile developing as a versatile vocalist. Having served as the final director of the late medieval chamber choir Coro Ciconia, he is currently bass section leader for John Karl Hirten at St John's Episcopal Ross (and recently for Mark Sumner at UUSF) and for Ash Walker with the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Asher currently sings under Magen Solomon with the chamber choir San Francisco Choral Artists and Martin Benvenuto with the all-gender treble choir 21V. He developed his countertenor voice through alto section leading for Sven Olbash's Lacuna Arts Ensemble and with Christopher Kula's men and boys Evensongs at St Paul's Episcopal Oakland and Latin quartet Masses at St Margaret Mary Oakland. Asher teaches voice in the Forte program at Marin Country Day School; his recent vocal study has been with Karen Clark and James Toland. He resides in the city of Richmond with his alto spouse; their son was born in 2018 and currently favors rock music.