Âé¶¹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³

Obituaries

Recent Obituaries
In Memoriam Archive

Composer, Arts Administrator, Archivist, and Historian

Randal Davis ’77

August 31, 2025

Randal Davis was a composer, arts administrator, archivist and historian. He majored in psychology, writing his thesis on phenomenology and schizophrenia with advising by Professor Linda J. Gummow [psychology].

After graduating from Reed, Randal worked at Portland Center for the Visual Arts and co-founded the influential new music group Concentration City. On his return to Oregon in 2007, he moved to Leland Iron Works, the studios and gardens of artists Lee Kelly and Bonnie Bronson. Randal managed their estates, writing monographs about their work and curating exhibitions.

Despite being profoundly deaf, Randal composed electronic music and supported musician friends in their work. He passed after a brief illness and is survived by his partner, Kassandra Kelly, and her children, Carter and Lucy Stirling.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Spring 2026