Dashon Burton
About
Hailed as an artist “alight with the spirit of the music” by the Boston Globe, three-time Grammy-winning bass-baritone Dashon Burton has established a vibrant career, appearing regularly throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Burton’s 2024-25 season began with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, led by Gustavo Dudamel. Highlights of the season included returns to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for his second season as artist-in-residence, featuring Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and later Bach’s Ich habe genug, both conducted by Ken-David Masur. He makes his Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription debut with Michael Tilson Thomas’ Walt Whitman Songs, conducted by Teddy Abrams, and his Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut in Mozart’s Requiem under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Additional performances include Brahms/Glanert’s Serious Songs and Mozart’s Requiem with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under Stéphane Denève; Mozart’s Requiem with the Minnesota Orchestra and Thomas Søndergård; and Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra, led by Masaaki Suzuki.
During the 2023-24 season, Burton collaborated frequently with Michael Tilson Thomas, including performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony and Copland’s Old American Songs with the New World Symphony. He also sang Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Washington Bach Consort, Handel’s Messiah with both the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and performed the title role in Sweeney Todd at Vanderbilt University. With the Cleveland Orchestra, he appeared in a semi-staged production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. As the Milwaukee Symphony’s artist-in-residence, Burton joined Ken-David Masur for three subscription weeks.
A multiple award-winning artist, Burton earned his second Grammy Award in 2021 for best classical solo vocal album for his role in Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison with The Experiential Orchestra (Chandos). He won his first Grammy in 2013 as an original member of the groundbreaking ensemble Roomful of Teeth for their debut album of new commissions. In 2024, he earned his third Grammy for their latest recording, "Rough Magic," featuring works by Caroline Shaw, William Brittelle, Peter Shin, and Eve Beglarian.
Burton’s discography also includes "Songs of Struggle & Redemption: We Shall Overcome" (Acis); the Grammy-nominated recording of Paul Moravec’s "Sanctuary Road" (Naxos); "Holocaust, 1944" by Lori Laitman (Acis); and Caroline Shaw’s "The Listeners" with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. His album of spirituals received critical acclaim, with the New York Times calling it “profoundly moving…a beautiful and lovable disc.”
Burton holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College and Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music. He is currently an assistant professor of voice at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.