The Jensen Foundation
Supporting the most promising young professionals in the field of opera
Mezzo Sadie Cheslak Wins 2025 Jensen Competition
Saturday, May 17, 2025 — NEW YORK CITY, NY — The Jensen Foundation has awarded mezzo-soprano Sadie Cheslak the First Place grant award in the 25th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Ms. Cheslak receives $15,000 as first-place grant winner. Since the Competition’s inception in 2000, 461 singers have received more than $985,000 in support.
The Jensen Foundation is proud of the legacy of support Fritz & Lavinia Jensen have made possible:
25
Annual Competitions
461
Award Winners
$985,700
Awarded
Jensen Competition Celebrates 25th Anniversary with New Singer Award
UPDATED MARCH 17, 2025 — The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition is celebrating its 25th anniversary by offering a new award at its May competition: the $10,000 Facing Forward Award. Said Jensen President Dr. Oliver Worthington III, “The Jensen Foundation is proud to celebrate 25 years of supporting singers and the opera art form. To more deeply support Mrs. Jensen's love of opera, we're looking to the future (even as we celebrate our 25-year history), and that future is full of new works. Our Facing Forward Award will go to the 2025 Finalist who offers the best performance of an aria written in the 21st century. This award will be an addition to our First, Second, Third, and Encouragement Awards, so one singer could win as much as $25,000 this year.”