Jarrett Porter (born 1993) is an American
baritone known for his performances as an opera and
lieder
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French ...
singer.
Early life and education
Porter was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, and raised in the
Dennisville section of
Dennis Township, New Jersey
Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township's population as of the 2020 United States census was 6,285, a drop of 182 from the 2010 Cen ...
.
He attended the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music ...
, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree, and
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of mus ...
, where he received a Master of Music degree as a James Schwabacher Fellow.
Porter also received further instruction at the Marion Roose Pullin Studio at
Arizona Opera
Arizona Opera is an opera company which operates in both Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
History
Arizona Opera was established in 1971 as the Tucson Opera Company, under founding general director James P. Sullivan, and presented its first produc ...
, and in the apprentice programs of
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...
, The
Glimmerglass Festival
The Glimmerglass Festival (formerly known as Glimmerglass Opera) is an American opera company. Founded in 1975 by Peter Macris, the Glimmerglass Festival presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight ...
, and
Opera Saratoga.
Career
At
Arizona Opera
Arizona Opera is an opera company which operates in both Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
History
Arizona Opera was established in 1971 as the Tucson Opera Company, under founding general director James P. Sullivan, and presented its first produc ...
, Porter performed Guglielmo in ''
Così fan tutte
(''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...
'', Father Palmer in ''
Silent Night
"Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared ...
'', Baron Douphol in ''
La Traviata
''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his o ...
'', Maximilian in ''
Candide
( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...
'', Sciarrone in ''
Tosca
''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dr ...
'', and Fiorello in ''
The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an '' opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was b ...
''.
In 2018, Porter joined the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...
, where he sang Der Perückenmacher in ''
Ariadne auf Naxos
(''Ariadne on Naxos''), Opus number, Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one o ...
'', and the Sergeant in ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuse ...
''.
In the 2019-2020 season, he debuted at
Tulsa Opera
Tulsa Opera is an American opera company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Originally an amateur performance group named the Tulsa Opera Club (established 1948), the company was incorporated as a professional organization in 1953. Performances for the c ...
as Dancaïre in ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...
'', and joined
Renée Fleming
Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for ...
and the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...
Orchestra as a soloist in
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
's ''
Serenade to Music''. In 2020, Porter joined
The Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
as a candidate for an artist diploma in opera studies and sang the role of
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.
...
in the world premiere of
Steven Mackey
Steven ("Steve") Mackey (born February 14, 1956) is an American composer, guitarist, and music educator.
Life
As a musician growing up listening to and performing vernacular American musics as well as classical music, Mackey's compositions are ...
’s ''Moon Tea'' at the
Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Porter most recently sang the role of
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in Britain, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford, before moving to the Uni ...
in the world premiere of
Tobias Picker
Tobias Picker (born July 18, 1954) is an American composer, artistic director, and pianist, noted for his orchestral works '' Old and Lost Rivers'', ''Keys To The City'', and ''The Encantadas'', as well as his operas ''Emmeline'', '' Fantastic ...
's ''
Awakenings
''Awakenings'' is a 1990 American drama film directed by Penny Marshall. It is written by Steven Zaillian, who based his screenplay on Oliver Sacks's 1973 memoir '' Awakenings''. It tells the story of neurologist Dr. Malcolm Sayer ( Robin Wi ...
'' at the
Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2022.
Awards
Porter has been a grant recipient of the 2021 Gerda Lissner Song Competition, winner of The Sullivan Foundation (2019), winner of the 2021 and 2019 District rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Ellie Silver Award Winner at the 2018 Holt Competition, and the 2017 Grand Prize Winner of the Pacific Music Society Competition.
References
External links
Jarrett Porter's Personal Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Jarrett
Living people
1993 births
American baritones
People from Dennis Township, New Jersey
Singers from Philadelphia
Singers from New Jersey
Classical musicians from New Jersey
Classical musicians from Pennsylvania
Eastman School of Music alumni
San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumni
21st-century American male opera singers