Barbara Porto is a California girl who has been at home in New York City for over eight years. After earning B.A.'s in both Psychology and Music from Occidental College in Los Angeles, Barbara moved to NYC to join the Teaching Fellows program. While teaching humanities to middle school students with special needs, she earned her M.S. in Special Education from CUNY Hunter College. Later, she returned to graduate school to attain an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College.
A versatile lyric soprano, Barbara has performed a wide range of works from Bach to Berio. She has most recently appeared as Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor with Apollo Opera, as a young artist with The Institute and Festival for Contemporary Performance at Mannes College, and as an ensemble musician for High Mass at The Church of the Resurrection on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Currently, Barbara is a learning specialist at The Ethical Culture School, where she instructs 4th graders who struggle with reading and writing. She strives to maintain a healthy balance of work, torture (in the form of the Bikram Yoga hot room), and music, despite the hustle and bustle of this vibrant town!