Great Barrington — Baritone Jarrett Porter, an American lieder specialist, joins Berkshire Opera Festival Artistic Director Brian Garman at Tanglewood’s Linde Center for Music and Learning on Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. to perform Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise.”
Audiences still respond to Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise” nearly two centuries after it was composed because it speaks directly to experiences that never change: loss, isolation, and the search for meaning.
The song cycle follows a solitary traveler moving through a bleak winter landscape, but its power lies in how closely the music mirrors the inner life of the wanderer. Schubert’s melodies are spare and direct, and the piano writing often feels like a second voice, echoing or challenging the singer’s thoughts. Listeners do not need to follow every word to sense the emotional journey.
“Winterreise” also endures because it leaves room for interpretation. Performers can shape the cycle in many ways, emphasizing despair, resilience, or quiet acceptance. That flexibility allows each generation to hear its own concerns reflected in the music.
Finally, the work’s emotional honesty sets it apart. “Winterreise” does not offer comfort or resolution. Instead, it presents suffering without sentimentality, which many listeners find truthful and deeply moving.
At Arizona Opera, Porter performed as Guglielmo in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” Father Palmer in Kevin Puts’ “Silent Night,” Baron Douphol in Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Maximilian in Bernstein’s “Candide,” Sciarrone in Puccini’s “Tosca,” and Fiorello in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”
In 2018, Porter joined the Santa Fe Opera, where he appeared as the Composer in Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” and as the Sergeant in Puccini’s “La bohème.” During the 2019–20 season, he made his Tulsa Opera debut as Dancaïre in Bizet’s “Carmen” and appeared as a soloist with Renée Fleming and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music.”
In 2020, Porter joined The Juilliard School as a candidate for an artist diploma in opera studies. He created the role of Neil Armstrong in Steven Mackey’s “Moon Tea” at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Most recently, Porter sang the role of Oliver Sacks in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s “Awakenings” at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2022.
Porter received a grant from the 2021 Gerda Lissner Song Competition, won The Sullivan Foundation Award in 2019, claimed top honors in the 2019 and 2021 district rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, earned the Ellie Silver Award at the 2018 Holt Competition, and won the grand prize at the 2017 Pacific Music Society Competition.
Founded in 2014 by Brian Garman and Jonathon Loy, Berkshire Opera Festival is now in its 11th season. The company recently appointed Natalie Johnsonius Neubert as its first president and CEO. Berkshire Opera Festival presents staged operatic productions each summer, along with recitals, educational programs, and other music-related events throughout the year. In 2026, the company launches its Resident Artist Program focused on emerging performers. Recent productions have included Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Puccini’s “La Bohème,” and Gounod’s “Faust.”
Tickets (from $20) are available here.
The Linde Center for Music and Learning is located on the Tanglewood campus at 3 West Hawthorne Road, Lenox.
