WP High Student Hits Home Run Performing at Citi Field
The Mets may have lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday night in a nationally televised game, but Ethan Donn came out a winner.
Donn, 20, a senior at White Plains High School, wowed the crowd at Citi Field in Queens with his rendition of “God Bless America.”
August 15 was also Autism Awareness Day. Donn is autistic with limited verbal capabilities, but when he sings or plays the violin or piano, his disability is not noticeable.
“Music is his outlet,” said Ethan’s father, Jeff, his biggest fan. “My hope is he’ll stick with music because I think that’s his calling. Ethan has autism, but autism does not have Ethan.”
Ethan is no stranger to performing on big stages. He sang virtually for the New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils this season and with the Mets last season.
He also entertained audiences at men’s and women’s college basketball games for St. John’s, Seton Hall and Rutgers, and sang the National Anthem for Iona College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Westchester Knicks and the Rockland Boulders baseball team.
Off the playing fields, Ethan performed in the chorus at Carnegie Hall from 2018-19 and has a credit on IMBd (Internet Movie Database) for a song he wrote for the movie “Victims,” currently playing on Amazon Prime.
“Thankfully he’s happy doing all this stuff,” Jeff said. “He likes to be part of the crowd. He’s a real ham. I’m a basket case.”
Jeff said it took a lot of persistence on his part to make the right connections, but it was all worth the effort. Mercy College was the first venue to give Ethan a chance, something his father will always be grateful for.
“My hope is the right set of eyes will watch him,” said Jeff, noting Ethan is hoping to do something in the music industry after he graduates. “When he was 16, I wanted more for him than the school was offering.”
Ethan is a member of the chorus and marching band at White Plains High School.
He hasn’t met any professional athletes yet during any of his performances, but the Mets did give him an autographed Jacob deGrom jersey.
Next on Ethan’s schedule is a New York Jets game this season.
“He enjoys doing it. He takes it in,” Jeff said.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
