Dr. Chía Patiño

Biography

Chía Patiño joined the Department of Voice & Opera as an assistant professor in fall 2024, bringing extensive directing experience. She has worked with opera companies in Spain, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. Patiño served as the executive artistic director of the National Theatre in Quito, Ecuador, for ten years, producing and curating five hundred events annually, which elevated the theatre to a respected institution in Latin America. In 2019, she was invited to join the Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas in Austin and re-established her connection to the Aspen Music Festival, where she teaches in the summer. Patiño is particularly interested in directing new works and directed a workshop for Yevgeniy Sharlat and Stephanie Fleishmann’s "Paradiso," which featured Estelí Gomez from the Hub New Music. In 2025, she will be involved in the development of "Macabea" by Suzanne Farrin, based on "The Hour of the Star" by Clarice Lispector. Her recent engagements include Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Tenerife, Aspen Opera Theater, VocalARTS, Northern Lights Music Festival, Williamsburg Opera, Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas, Opera Colorado, and Glimmerglass Festival in summer 2025. Patiño completed her undergraduate degrees in composition and piano at the University of Louisville, holds a Master of Music and Doctorate in composition from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, and wrote and produced the opera "Dreamwalker." She also received her MFA in opera stage directing from the University of Cincinnati.

Research Interests