In an interview conducted last spring, Portland musician Jeffrey Silverstein said that not only did he enjoy and appreciate the balance, structure and clarity provided by his day job as a special education teacher, he believes working in a classroom is “in (his) blood.”

Indeed, Silverstein followed his mother into the profession, earning a master’s in special education while living in Brooklyn, New York, and playing in an experimental folk band called Nassau. Before he moved to New York, he lived in Baltimore at a time when the city’s music scene was exploding with good, weird bands like Animal Collective, Lower Dens and Future Islands and illuminating for Silverstein the close relationship between music and community.

About six years ago, he moved across the country to Portland. At the time, he was unsure of his next step musically, but he felt he should be teaching. So Silverstein taught, while at the same time exploring a new musical path as a solo artist focused on a particularly pastoral blend of acoustic folk, cosmic country, ambient tones and mellow psychedelic vibes. His first album, “You Become the Mountain,” came out in April of 2020 — exactly the right time for a lot of people looking for comfort in the earliest days of the pandemic.

7 new restaurants coming to Central Oregon

“In a less fraught time, (“You Become the Mountain”) might have made for a faithful Sunday morning companion …” wrote Grayson Haver Currin in a review for Bandcamp Daily. “But in our actual time, (the album) feels instead like a daily ritual, a 38-minute sun salutation that leaves you with welcome stockpiles of fleeting feelings, like worth or meaning.”

These days, Silverstein’s profile continues to rise. His 2023 album, “Western Sky Music,” earned a raft of positive reviews and spurred an expanded slate of touring, including shows in Europe and across the U.S. later this year.

The interest in his music has put Silverstein at a crossroads, where his love of teaching intersects with his lifelong artistic pursuits. “As things move, the call to pursue music in a more full-time way is really present for me,” he told the Portland Mercury last year. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I know something’s happening and I’m trying to listen.”

Eight months later, Silverstein says that call has only gotten louder.

“I’m on the path and have every intention to keep moving forward,” he said. “I’m focused on staying curious, engaged in the work, and continuing to build community. Time will take care of itself.”

Next up for Silverstein: A Jan. 18 show at the cozy Suttle Lodge and Boathouse west of Sisters, where musicians perform in a rustic timber cabin, alongside a crackling fire and in front of windows overlooking scenic Suttle Lake. It seems like a perfect spot to watch Silverstein make his deeply soothing sounds — both “Western Sky Music” (the album) and “western sky music,” a style Silverstein describes thusly:

“It’s akin to slowing down,” he said, “taking stock of what’s right in front of you.”

If You Go

Who: Jeffrey Silverstein

When: 6-8 p.m. Jan. 18

Cost: $10

Where: The Suttle Lodge, 13300 U.S. 20, Sisters

Contact: thesuttlelodge.com.