Soprano Felicia Moore Takes First Place at 2018 Jensen Competition

May 26, 2018 Lisa Gray

MAY 26 2018 – NEW YORK CITY, NY – Today, the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation awarded Felicia Moore First Place in the 19th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in New York City. For the final day of the competition, Ms. Moore, a soprano, performed “L’altra notte in fondo al mare” from Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele, “O smania!...D’Oreste d’Ajace” from Idomeneo by Mozart, and “Do not utter a word” from Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. Ms. Moore received $15,000 as first place winner.

Ms. Moore recently recently received her Artist Diploma in Opera Studies from The Julliard School. She will be traveling to France as a Resident in the Aix-en-Provence Festival's Mozart Académie, and then she will be in Germany as a participant of the International Meistersinger Akademie. Said Ms. Moore of her Jensen win, “I’m in shock and am honored to have won First Prize. This award will help me pay for lessons and coachings next year as I learn roles for upcoming seasons. I am very humbled and grateful to the Jensen Foundation for enabling me to continue my studies next year.” Visit Ms. Moore's website here.

Other 2018 Jensen award winners were baritone Emmett O’Hanlon (Second Place Award Winner - $10,000), bass-baritone Alex Soare (Third Place Award Winner - $7,500), and soprano Helena Brown (Munday Encouragement Award Winner - $3,000).

Additional finalists who performed in the 2018 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition were:

These singers distinguished themselves from a field of 112 auditioners and 254 applicants. Judges for the 2018 Jensen Finals were Ian Derrer, Lauren Flanigan, and Steven White (Read their bios here.) Judges for the Preliminary Rounds, held Monday-Thursday, were Ben Leaptrott (Brenau University), Carleen Graham (Houston Grand Opera), and Oliver Worthington (Butler University). The 2018 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition was held May 21-26 in the Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City.

About the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation
The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit foundation, established by Lavinia Jensen in honor of her late husband, Fritz Jensen. Their lifelong love for the arts has benefited many musicians and musical organizations. The Foundation continues their philanthropic passion for the musical arts by supporting young artists pursuing a career in opera. The centerpiece of The Jensen Foundation’s work is the annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Since the Competition’s inception in 2000, and including this year’s award winners, 138 singers have received more than $650,000 in support.