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The American tenor, James Michael Porter, studied at Little Rock Christian Academy in Little Rock, Arkansaso (Class of 2007). He obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance (2011) and his Master of Music in Vocal Performance as a student of Scharmal Schrock from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.
Michael Porter has played the roles of Laurie in Mark Adamo's Little Women, Benvolio in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, and Mike in William Bolcom's A View from the Bridge with Indiana University Opera Theater. At Indiana University, he was also a featured soloist in J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (February 2012), Camille Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, L.v. Beethoven's C Major Mass, and J.S. Bach's Magnificat BWV 243. Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Uriel in Haydn’s Creation, title role in Leonard Bernstein's Candide (April 2012), and J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor BWV 232 (November 2009). During his time at Indiana University, he was also Teaching Assistant. He took part in the Opera Theatre St. Louis' Gerdine Young Artist Program in Webster Groves, Missouri (April-June 2012), covering Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Cosí fan tutte and performing the role of Mole in Unsuk Chin’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. In the USA, he was also soloist in J. Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Porco. (February 2013), and appeared as Brighella in R. Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos at Fort Worth Opera (April-May 2013). He also particpated in the Seagle Music Colony's Young Artist Program and appeared at Glimmerglass Festival (2012 and June-August 2013), where roles included Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette and Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, Enoch Snow in Carousel, and Jack in the children’s opera Jack and the Beanstalk.
Michael Porter was Frankfurt Oper Studio Artist in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons. His roles in 2014-2015 season included Sipho in the world premiere of Lior Navok's An unserem Fluss/By Our River in the Bockenheimer Depot. He left the Opera Studio to join Oper Frankfurt's Ensemble at the beginning of the 2015-2016 season. During the 2015-2016 season he sings the roles of Victorin, Gaston in Korngold's Die tote Stadt/The Dead City, Graf von Lerma in Don Carlo - both revivals, and the Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer/The Flying Dutchman, Carlino in Fioravanti's Le cantatrici villane and Remendado in Georges Bizet's Carmen - all new productions. His roles for the company in recent seasons have included the Spirit / Sailor in Dido and Aeneas, Schmidt in Werther, Thibault in Die Sizilianische Vesper/The Sicilian Vespers, Rodrigo in Otello and Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, a role he has sung for Fort Worth Opera. He currently lives in Frankfurt, Germany. |
