Friday, September 16, 2022
7:30 PM

Opera!

Featuring the winners of the 2022 International Competition for Voice

Jonathan Patton, Baritone
First Prize

Alaskan-born baritone, Jonathan Patton, is a rising talent in the operatic community. He will be joining the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera for the 2022-2023 season where he will debut the role of Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème. This summer, he was an apprentice artist for Des Moines Metropolitan Opera where he covered the role of Ty in the world premiere of Kristin Kuster and Mark Campbell’s A Thousand Acres. Last spring, Jonathan was a young artist in residence for Opera Southwest where he performed the role of Batone in Rossini’s L’inganno felice. As well, Jonathan was honored to perform Marco and cover Schicchi in Festival Napa Valley’s inaugural Manetti Shrem Opera production of Gianni Schicchi under the baton of Kent Nagano. Jonathan holds a Master’s in Music degree from the University of New Mexico, and he recently completed a graduate artist certificate from the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen Morscheck. There Jonathan debuted the roles of Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), and Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia). Other role highlights include: Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Pirate King (The Pirates of Penzance) John Proctor (The Crucible), Achilla (Giulio Cesare in Egitto), Professor Bhaer (Little Women), Schaunard (La Bohéme), and a premiering of Tony Lujan (Mabel’s Call, Cohen). Jonathan’s recent awards include the 2022 winner of the Lewisville Lake Symphony International Voical Competition, and honorable mention and audience favorite award in Shreveport Opera’s Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year.

Adía Evans, Soprano
Second Prize

Praised for her “big, beautifully projected voice with an attractive edge and sparkle” (Arts Knoxville) soprano Adia Evans is quickly establishing herself as an up-and-coming talent in the opera and concert world. A recent participant of the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, Evans was featured as First Lady in their production of Die Zauberflöte, as a solo Niña in scenes from Golijov’s Ainadamar, and as a soloist in the American Song Concert. Her performance in the Merola Grand Finale was praised as “vivid, beautiful, and sweeping” (Opera Tattler). Evans just completed the 2021-2022 season as Resident Artist with Opera Columbus, where she covered the titular Tosca and Mary Johnson in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers. Evans also performed the roles of Vanqui in Leslie Burrs’ Vanqui and Lucy in Fellow Travelers with Opera Columbus.

A frequent recitalist and concert soloist, Evans was featured on the PBS Special “Knox Opera for All!” with Knoxville Opera and was guest soloist in Tulsa Opera’s MLK Day Parade, performing a short recital of repertoire by Black composers. In past seasons, Evans has performed the soprano solos in Haydn’s Kleine Orgelmesse, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and Fauré’s Requiem.

Evans is also an avid competitor. In 2022, Evans was awarded an Encouragement Award from the Tennessee District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, 2nd Place in the Lewisville Lake Symphony International Vocal Competition, and 1st Place and Audience Choice in the James Toland Vocal Competition. In previous seasons, she won both Fourth place and Audience Choice in the 2021 Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing Vocal Competition, and both Second Place and the Audience Choice Award in the 2020 Harlem Opera Theater Vocal Competition. Evans was also a finalist in the 2022 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, a finalist in the Emerging Artist division of the 2021 MIOpera Competition.

Evans holds a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Maryland College Park and a Master of Music degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville as part of the Knoxville Opera Studio. She is also a proud alumnae of the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Evans is currently a Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist with Fort Worth Opera.