UNM Alum wins the Metropolitan Opera Competition

Music

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UNM Alum wins the Metropolitan Opera Competition

Lydia Grindatto (B.M. 2017) recently won the Metropolitan Opera Lafont Vocal Competition. This competition is the most prestigious in the United States and among the most prestigious competitions in the entire world. As a winner Grindatto was awarded a cash prize of $20,000 and performed with the Met Orchestra on the stage of the famed opera house.

Department Chair and Voice Faculty member Michael Hix commented “We are so proud of Lydia. From her very first semester at UNM, we knew she was destined for success. While she possessed natural talent, it was her work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and drive that really made her shine. It was such a pleasure watching her grow while at UNM. I remember her UNM Opera Theatre performances from her early years as a singer so fondly. We know that the Dept. of Music provides a top notch musical education and amazing faculty mentors. Lydia’s success is just another example of the results of this education and mentorship.”

While at UNM Grindatto studied with Professor Leslie Umphrey and Dr. Kristin Ditlow. After graduating she continued her studies with Dr. Kristin Ditlow and Dr. Olga Perez Flora. She is currently completing her Artist Diploma at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. While a young artist at the Santa Fe Opera in Summer 2023 she made her mainstage debut as the 2nd Wood Sprite in Dvorak’s opera Rusalka. Her 23-24 performances include Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Arizona Opera, Tatiana in Tchiakovsky’s Eugene Onegin with Opera Columbus, and the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena at Academy of Vocal Arts.

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Engaged Practices, Professor Subhankar Banerjee’s Showcase, looking at Nature Journaling as Pedagogy

Engaged Practices, Professor Subhankar Banerjee’s Showcase, looking at Nature Journaling as Pedagogy

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Congratulations to Professor Subhankar Banerjee, whose classes “Introduction to Art and Ecology” and “Biodiversity, Creative Practice, Justice” explored nature journaling as both a visual and literary practice, culminating in a showcase last week. Banerjee, Art professor and founder and director of the Center for Environmental Arts & Humanities, described the motivation behind the project as creating “to have an alternative outlet to engage, not only a class project, but for their own life, and their own journey of learning at UNM,” particularly in the context of students living in “the digital space.” He further says, “Teens, as well as young adults, are spending increasingly more time on the internet.

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