Lodi teen wins twice at Valley Talent Project
When Valerie and Richard Mahoney put their son, Davis, in the Lodi Children’s Chorus in 2006, when he was only 5, they never imagined that he would win two awards at the 2017 Valley Talent Project, held at Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto at the age of 16.
“We’re very proud of him, it’s humbling and really surprising,” said Richard.
Davis Mahoney, a 16-year old senior at Visions in Education Charter School, won $750 for Male Vocal Talent and an additional $750 for the Paul Tischer Classical Music Scholarship at the Valley Talent Project finals on Aug. 26., which he said he used to purchase a new MacBook laptop for college.
He first started singing at the age of 5, when his parents enrolled him in the Lodi Children’s Chorus thinking it would simply be a fun way for him to spend his time. They did not expect the director, the late Robert Tan, to discover that the child had a naturally gifted singing voice.
“We just weren’t expecting him to have the voice that he has. We hear him practice, but we don’t have an ear for music,” said Valerie.
After discovering Davis’ talent, Tan began giving him private lessons in 2007, when Davis was 8. Davis would go on to perform at Disneyland with the Children’s Chorus in 2009, 2011 and 2013. At his last Disneyland performance, Tan wanted him to sing the highpitched male part for “Climb Every Mountain,” from “The Sound of Music,” but Davis’ voice had begun to change.
Davis now sings baritone for the San Joaquin Delta College Jazz Choir and assists with the Lodian Singers chamber choir. He has also performed at numerous public and private events, although competitions are not his primary focus.
“Competition isn’t really what I’m after. I like to see the smiles that music brings to peoples’ faces. Music can take you away from the troubles of the world,” said Davis.
Some of Davis’ previous performances this year include singing the National Anthem at the Mexican American Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Stockton on Saturday, Aug. 12 and the Lodi historical Society’s Ice Cream Social on Saturday, Aug. 12. He also gave a solo performance for the First United Methodist Church’s service on Sunday, Aug. 20, and in 2016 he won first place in the 14-16 division of the Asya Pleskach Scholarship for Young Choral Singers, earning the opportunity to perform the solo, “The Vagabond,” with the Sacramento Master Singers in Sacramento.
Davis’ future performances include the Lodi Grape Festival on Friday, Sept. 15 and at Emanuel Lutheran Church’s spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 23. He will also perform for the Sacramento Community Concert Association on Feb. 25, 2018.
While he mostly sings Broadway tunes, classical and opera songs, as well a standards such as Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin, Davis listens to nearly every type of music, except for death metal. Next year, he plans to study music at the University of the Pacific, getting his teaching credential along with a Master’s Degree in music with a Minor in conducting, before pursuing his Ph.D. in opera. He hopes to teach at universities in the future, after starting out at a high school or community college. He also has his eye on conducting.
“I like to perform, and everyone says I should go into it, but I’d rather be behind the scenes. I’d like to conduct a choir or orchestra for an opera. Music is my life, although I do like cars, so I may get into collecting them,” said Davis.