About Portara Ensemble

Founded in 2010, Portara Ensemble uses choral music to elevate and inspire audiences through the transformative power of artistic collaboration and community engagement. Portara, like so many other Nashville artists, recognizes the need for a broad sound palette, and is known for its ability to reinvent the character of the ensemble not only from concert to concert, but from moment to moment during a performance. Portara utilizes the singular power of the human voice to open doors to all kinds of cultural and artistic possibilities. Whether it's an intimate performance of choral classics, or backing up country music's biggest stars on national television, Portara prides itself on being vocal chameleons - able to become whatever the moment calls for, in service to the spirit of creativity.

Nashville is full of cultural connections to ancient Greece - most notably the full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Portara Ensemble is named for a sacred site off the island of Naxos. In Greek the word portara means doorway, and the Portara is a massive stone doorframe that once was the entrance to a sacred temple. The temple is now in ruins (or perhaps was never even built), but that ancient doorway inspires us by reminding us that the voice is the gateway to the arts.

Portara performs 4-5 concert regular concerts per season, and is often invited to sing for special events throughout the year. Portara’s 32 singers are drawn from a much larger rotating roster, and the ensemble is created anew for each performance depending on singers’ availability. The ensemble only rehearses for 4-6 weeks prior to a performance, so emphasis is on sight-reading ability and individual commitment to preparation. For more information about singing with us, click the “Audition” button above.

Portara Ensemble is deeply committed to diversity in membership, board leadership, programming, community partnerships, and performance venue selection. We are eager to learn and grow, and are grateful participants in city-wide antiracism initiatives and DEI work.