Artistic Director

Jason Shelton is a founding member of Portara Ensemble, and has served as Artistic Director since 2015. Jason has worked with choirs in workshops and performances throughout North America, and he specializes in creative, collaborative programming. Formerly a Franciscan brother, Jason received a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt in 2003, where he focused on music as a means for building community in multi-cultural, multi-faith environments. He is a published and award-winning composer, and Jason recently conducted Step By Step: the Ruby Bridges Suite at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Assistant Director

Patrick Dunnevant is a composer, conductor, and baritone based in Nashville, Tennessee (B.M. Belmont University, M.M. Westminster Choir College). He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Portara Ensemble and a Coordinator for the Nashville Chamber Music Series, an organization dedicated to creating intimate performances of contemporary classical and jazz music in non-traditional settings. He also performs as a member of the professional choir Vocal Arts Nashville. His compositions, which have been praised for their “lustrous sonic colors,” (ArtsNash), have been performed by several regional and All-State honor choirs across the country and the UK, and are published by Colla Voce Music and GIA Publications, Inc.