Meet our 2025 Finals Judges
The 2025 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition Finals will be judged by this slate of opera professionals. Our Finals Judges have graciously agreed to offer feedback to all finalists who wish to stay after the competition on Saturday, May 17, 2025. We are grateful to Mr. Eberhard, Ms. Gandhi, and Ms. Lippiello for the expertise and encouragement they offer our 2025 finalists.
Michael Eberhard is the Director of Casting & Artistic Administration at Opera Philadelphia, a position he has held since 2009. He is also the Casting Advisor for the Spoleto Festival USA. Previously, he worked at the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A trained opera singer, Mr. Eberhard has performed with such companies as Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Utah Festival Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the Eastman School of Music and his Masters of Music degree from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Edward Zambara. Mr. Eberhard moved to Philadelphia to attend the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts studying with Joanna Levy. He has judged many competitions including the Marcello Giordani International Voice Competition, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition, and Astral Artists Voice Competition. Learn more about Opera Philadelphia and the Spoleto Festival USA.
Priti Gandhi is a leader in opera administration, innovative casting, and a passionate artist advocate in the field. In 2023, she joined the artistic department of the Metropolitan Opera as Associate Director of the Laffont Competition. After a long international opera career that included performances with companies like Seattle Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, UNAM in Mexico City, the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, she transitioned into artistic administration with San Diego Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Portland Opera. She is a sought-after audition master class instructor and guest lecturer with schools like the New England Conservatory, The Julliard School, Mannes School of Music, and the University of California at San Diego. Learn more about the Laffont Competition.
Cory Lippiello, CSA is the Director of Artistic Programs at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she prepares principal artist casting for Lyric's mainstage operas, musicals, and outreach programming. In addition, she is the Emmy Award-winning producer of Lyric's filmed streaming projects and an integral member of the team developing new opera commissions and other special presentations. During a career that spans over thirty years as a producer and administrator, Ms. Lippiello has held significant positions with New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, The Atlanta Opera, the New York Philharmonic, IMG Artists, OPERA America, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She is a sought-after speaker on the topics of artistic planning and casting, and she has been honored to serve multiple times as an adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition and as a grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. A recipient of two Artios Awards for casting musical theater at Lyric, Ms. Lippiello is the first casting director from the opera world to become a member of the Casting Society of America. Learn more about Lyric Opera of Chicago.
