Hunter Davis was so wary of overcommitting himself, he almost declined an invitation to join Cambridge High School’s junior jazz band as a year 9 student in 2022.
Hunter Davis
Now, he’s so glad he took the plunge.
“It was one of the best musical decisions I’ve made,” said the 15-year-old guitarist, who has since moved on to the school’s senior jazz band and is passionate about the genre.
Hunter has excelled in music this year, winning the Vagg Cup for Instrumental Music at Cambridge High’s 2024 Arts Awards.
The year 11 student also took home the Te Puna Auaha Cup for Outstanding Original Music for his song, ‘The Seeker’, recorded by The Hunter Davis Quintet.
He is quick to point out his band members – Reuben Stevens, Finnian Thomas-Fleming, Camerson Diprose and Kingston Harrop – chose the group’s name.
“We would not have got anywhere without those guys; they are just phenomenal, amazing players,” he said.
‘The Seeker’, “smashed out in one weekend”, won the quintet a ticket to perform at the Young Jazz Band-It New Zealand Jazz Composition Competition in Wellington last month, where they were “super happy” to place third.
That achievement saw them share the Cambridge High School Best Arts Group or Team of the Year award with senior dance duo Elise Carr and Evelyn Winter.
Just two weeks earlier, Hunter’s school band Clean Up was a top 10 national finalist in Smokefree Tangata Beats, an original youth music event celebrating Aotearoa and the South Pacific’s unique cultural influences.
Clean Up was also recognised at the Arts Awards, winning Top Musical Duo or Group.
Hunter, a committed student, was top of his music and French classes in 2023 and is studying chemistry and maths a year ahead of his age level this year.
There’s a lot on his plate, but he tends not to get too stressed about it.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable when you get to the end goal,” he said.
“It’s a great experience to play with all these extremely talented musicians from school.”
