Alumni Focus: Grammy-award winning Dashon Burton, M.M. '11
Photo: Burton’s beloved cohort, Sherezade Panthaki, soprano, Dr. Fabiana Gonzales, mezzo, Dr. Daniel Coakwell, tenor, and Dashon Burton.
Dashon Burton ’ M.M. 11 has been traveling far and wide as a solo singer since his graduation from the ISM. In 2021 he won a Grammy award for the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
His work has included performing with Roomful of Teeth (2013) as well as international tours with the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Salzburg Festival, and many more. He says that none of it would have been possible without the warm support from the ISM! Burton started teaching at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music in 2021. His daughter, Zora, was born in October 2021.
While at the ISM, he says that he learned how to be “truly curious about studying music, and applying that to my performance career.” The ISM taught him “how to teach, how to enjoy knowledge and pass it on to future generations!”