UNM Voice/Opera Alumni Enjoying Great Success
By Michael Hix
Soprano Lydia Grindatto (BM Voice Performance 2018) and Baritone Jonathan Patton (MM Voice Performance 2020) are enjoying successes nationwide on the opera stage. Grindatto is currently completing her Artist Diploma at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. While a young artist at the Santa Fe Opera, she recently made her Santa Fe Opera mainstage debut as the 2nd Wood Sprite in Dvorak’s opera Rusalka. Her upcoming performances include Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Arizona Opera, Tatiana in Tchiakovky’s Eugene Onegin with Opera Columbus, and the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena at Academy of Vocal Arts.
Jonathan Patton is in his second year as a Cafritz Young Artist of the Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center. In his first season with WNO he debuted the role of Marcello in Puccini’s La bohème; as well as premiered The Demon, in the world-premiere of Bubbie and the Demon by Jens Ibsen, a product of the American Opera Initiative.
In summer 2023 Jonathan performed at the Glimmerglass Festival where he debuted the roles of James/Martin in Bernstein’s Candide and Paris in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and covered the role of Marcello in La bohème. His upcoming performances with Washington National Opera include Paris in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. In the winter, he performed the roles of Elk, Camel, and Butcher 1 in Jeanine Tesori’s holiday opera The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me. Finally, he will debut the role of Don Pedro in Songbird; a jazzy adaption of Offenbach’s La Périchole.
https://jonathan-patton.com
https://app.stagetime.com/artists/lydia-grindatto
From Merce Cunningham to Creative Computation: Media Artist Sarah Bennett-Davidson Shares Her Journey
Sarah Bennet-Davidson is a media-based artist in New Mexico. She is currently a graduate student here at The University of New Mexico, enrolled in the MFA program in Electronic Art & Technology, and has been taking vvvv classes with The NODE Institute since 2022.
New Devised Theatre Work Explores Voting and Democracy Amidst Post-Election Fallout
The University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance invites audiences to Voice Vote, a brand-new devised theatre piece that investigates the themes of voting and democracy through the perspectives of university students. Created collaboratively with the cast,...
KOAT 7 Spotlights Film & Digital Arts Assistant Professor Ramona Emerson
KOAT Channel 7 Journalist and News Anchor, Royale Da recently spotlighted UNM Film & Digital Arts Assistant Professor Ramona Emerson, as part of Native American Heritage month, highlighting Indigenous voices. The feature covers the release of Emerson’s new...