Justin Davidson (born May 16, 1966) is an American

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and architecture critic of Italian birth. He has been the ''

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'' magazine's critic in both disciplines since 2007. He won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for "his crisp coverage of classical music that captures its essence."

Life and career

Justin Davidson was born in Rome, Italy on May 16, 1966. In 1983, he graduated from the American Overseas School of Rome, where his mother was an English teacher. Davidson began his journalism career as a local

stringer Stringer may refer to: Structural elements * Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened * Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal * Stringer (stairs), ...

for the

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in Rome, before moving to the United States to study music at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He went on to earn a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degree in

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, where he also taught. Davidson became a staff writer for the

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

newspaper ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' in 1996, where he about both

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

. In September 2007, he was hired by ''

'' magazine, continuing as a dual classical music and architecture critic. In 2002, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, for "his crisp coverage of classical music that captures its essence." He was a finalist the prize earlier in 1999, and later in 2020. Fellow music critic Jayson Greene stated that "Davidson situates classical music in the same cultural conversation as other art forms, and his dynamic prose is rich with vivid allusions to, for example, photography and painting." As of 2021, Davidson and

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book creator, comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which ...

at ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' are the only classical music critics who write regularly for a general-interest American magazine. Davidson was among the faculty of D-Crit, and has taught courses at the

Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) is the architecture school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. It is also home to the Masters of Science program in Advanced Architect ...

. He is married to Ariella Budick, a New York–based

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

''.

Selected writings

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References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

Articles by Justin Davidson
on the ''New York'' website {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Justin American architecture critics Journalists from New York (state) Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners 1966 births Living people Harvard University alumni Columbia University alumni Opera critics American classical music critics Newsday people 20th-century American journalists American male journalists 21st-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers