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Lisa Gray 5/12/17 Lisa Gray 5/12/17

Helpful Information for Jensen Auditioners

The 2017 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition begins Monday, May 15. Below we offer some information auditioners should find helpful.

What’s At Stake: The First Place winner of the 2017 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition receives $15,000. The Second Place winner receives $10,000; Third Place receives $7,500; an Encouragement Award winner receives $3,000 and automatic entry to the 2018 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. All other finalists receive $750.

Audition Location: The 2017 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition auditions and finals will be held in Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center (BPAC), located at 55 Lexington Avenue in New York City. For bus or subway directions to Baruch Performing Arts Center, visit the BPAC website. Please enter through the 25th Street entrance and look for the Jensen Foundation table in the lobby. The attendant will escort you backstage.

Your Arrival Time: Please arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled audition. Dressing rooms are available. A warm-up space with piano is available but not private.

Dress: Professional dress for both the preliminary audition and the Finals is recommended.

Bring With You: Photocopies of the sheet music for your 5 listed arias, placed in a three-ring binder. No loose music. No stapled music. No plastic sleeves.

The Preliminary Judges Will Each Have a Printed Score Sheet containing:

Your resume from Yaptracker
Your headshot from Yaptracker
Your Aria List from Yaptracker.

Our Accompanists: You can read about our accompanists here.

Backstage & WiFi: Phone and WiFi signals backstage at the Engelman Recital Hall are very weak for most carriers, with Verizon providing the best service. Even at its best though, your reception will likely be poor. Please plan accordingly.

Contacting the Competition Director: During the audition rounds, email is our primary mode of contact, so please add the jensenfoundation.org to your non-spam list. In case of emergencies the week of the competition, please call or text Competition Director Lisa V. Gray anytime at 704-641-4691 or lisa@jensenfoundation.org.

Are You A Finalist? Finalists will be chosen Thursday evening, May 18, after the last audition has been heard. If you are a finalist, you will receive an email and a confirming call before 10 PM that evening. Please make sure you are available to receive the call!

The Finals Judges are F. Paul Driscoll, Rosalind Elias, and Michael Heaston. Read all about them here.

If You Are Not A Finalist: On Friday, you will receive an email confirming the list of finalists and encouraging you to attend the Finals. This event is free and open to the public. The Finals performances begin on Saturday, May 20 at 1 PM and should be complete by 3:45 PM. The awards ceremony will begin at approximately 4 PM, after which the Finals Judges will privately provide, in round-robin fashion, three minutes of individual feedback to any finalist who seeks it.

Cancelling Your Audition: If you are unable to audition, please contact the Competition Director immediately by email at lisa@jensenfoundation.org or by phone at 704-641-4691. Thank you for your consideration on this point.

The Jensen Foundation thanks everyone who has applied to perform in this year's competition. To all auditioners: Toi Toi Toi!

Lisa Gray 2/28/17 Lisa Gray 2/28/17

Meet our 2017 Finals Judges

The Jensen Foundation is pleased to announce the prestigious slate of Finals Judges for its 2017 Vocal Competition, to be held at 1 PM on Saturday, May 20 2017 in Engelman Recital Hall at New York City's Baruch Performing Arts Center.

F. Paul Driscoll has been Editor-in-Chief of OPERA NEWS since 2003. He has served as a lecturer and interviewer at such institutions as Cooper Union, Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse, the Museum of the City of New York, CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan, the Art Song Festival at Baldwin-Wallace College, the Metropolitan Opera Club, the Wagner Society of New York, and the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s “Singers Studio” interview series. Mr. Driscoll has been interviewed on opera by COZI TV, Thirteen/WNET, Classic Talk, CNN International, WQXR radio, WCBS radio, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Houston Public Media’s “Opera Cheat Sheet,” NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “Deceptive Cadence” and WNYC’s “Soundcheck.” Mr. Driscoll has been a competition judge for Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Competition, the Liederkranz Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council. In 2016, he received an honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music.

One of the finest singing-actresses of our time, Rosalind Elias has reached living-legend status. She has performed leading roles with distinction with premier opera companies throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Hamburg State Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Santa Fe Opera, the Liceo in Barcelona, and the Teatro San Carlo in Lisbon. She has recorded extensively, and three of her recordings won "Best of the Year" Grammys from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. As a director, she has staged productions with numerous companies, including Hansel for Opera Memphis, Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Cosi fan tutte for the Cincinnati Opera, La Boheme and Barbiere for the Baltimore Opera, and most notably, a new production of Regina for the New York City Opera. Ms. Elias is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music with an Honorary Doctorate of Music.

Michael Heaston is a respected artistic administrator, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach. He was recently named Executive Director of the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. Prior to this appointment, he was the Director of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, American Opera Initiative, and Advisor to the Artistic Director at Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was also the Associate Artistic Director of The Glimmerglass Festival, where he oversaw the Young Artists Program and all matters of musical administration. He was named one of Musical America’s top 30 Professionals of the Year for 2015. He spent six seasons at The Dallas Opera, where he was Head of Music Staff and Assistant Conductor for over 25 productions. Mr. Heaston has presented master classes at numerous conservatories and universities, including The Juilliard School, University of Michigan, University of Maryland, University of North Texas, and Miami Summer Music Festival. He also serves on the Singer Training and New Works Forums for Opera America.

Lisa Gray 2/21/17 Lisa Gray 2/21/17

2017 Competition Accompanists Announced

Singers who participate in the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition may bring their own accompanist or opt to use the professional accompanist provided free-of-charge by the Jensen Foundation. We are pleased to announce our acclaimed accompanists for the 2017 Competition: Jonathan Kelly and Dan Franklin Smith.

Jonathan Kelly is an assistant conductor at The Metropolitan Opera. He has worked in a similar capacity at the San Francisco Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Theater of Lucca, and the Chautauqua Institution. Frequently seen in concert, Mr. Kelly has appeared with many of today’s leading performers, including Elina Garanča, Susan Graham, Hei-Kyung Hong, Ana María Martínez, Anna Netrebko, Ramon Vargas, and Rolando Villazon. Formerly a lecturer at Yale University, he is now a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Kelly graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music. He will accompany Jensen singers on Monday and Tuesday, May 15-16.

Dan Franklin Smith is a vocal coach and collaborative pianist based in New York City. He served for 10 years as Music Director and recital soloist with the international festival Elysium: Between-Two-Continents, performing in Europe and the United States. Mr. Smith graduated as a piano major from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. To learn more, visit his website. Mr. Smith will accompany Jensen singers on Wednesday and Thursday, May 17-18, and on the Finals Day, Saturday, May 20.

Lisa Gray 1/9/17 Lisa Gray 1/9/17

Jensen Foundation Now Accepting Applications for its 2017 Vocal Competition

The Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation is now accepting online applications for the 2017 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition to be held May 15-20, 2017 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City. Opera professionals who are 25-35 years of age can compete for their share of more than $40,000 in award money.

The Foundation expects 110 singers to audition for the chance to sing in the final competition on Saturday, May 20, 2017 and compete for these awards:

First place - $15,000
Second place - $10,000
Third place - $7,500
Munday Encouragement Award - $3,000 and automatic entry in the 2018 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition
All remaining finalists receive $750.

The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition is open to opera singers who meet the following eligibility requirements:

must NOT be a previous first-, second-, or third-place award winner of the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition;
must be a permanent legal resident of the United States for at least one year prior to May 15, 2017;
must be between the ages of 25 and 35 as of May 15, 2017;
must not be a past or current recipient of a contract for a principal role with an OPERA America Budget Level I company or its international equivalent. Cover, chorus, and comprimario roles with Level 1 companies are acceptable.

Singers can learn more about the competition at the Jensen Foundation website and complete an online application at Yaptracker.com. The deadline for entry is Sunday, March 19, 2017.

About the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation
Fritz and Lavinia Jensen were lifelong supporters of the arts who benefited many musicians and musical organizations during their lives. The Jensen Foundation is dedicated to continuing their philanthropic vision of support for the musical arts. The centerpiece of the Foundation’s efforts, the annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, supports young artists pursuing a career in opera. Since the Competition’s inception in 2000, young singers have received more than a $540,000 in support.

Lisa Gray 5/22/16 Lisa Gray 5/22/16

Bass Adam Lau Wins 17th Annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition

On Saturday, May 21, 2016, the Jensen Foundation awarded bass Adam Lau First Place in the 17th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. For the final day of the competition, Mr. Lau performed “O beauty, O handsomeness, goodness” (Claggart’s Aria) from Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd and “Quand la flamme de l'amour” from La jolie fille de Perth by Georges Bizet. Mr. Lau received $15,000. Finals judges Susan Ashbaker, Peter Carwell, and James Morris chose Mr. Lau from a field of fifteen finalists.

"Getting to sing Claggart's aria for James Morris, the Met's first Claggart, is an experience I will never forget," said Mr. Lau of his finals performance. "He's a living legend in the opera world, and it was such an honor meeting him. Thank you Jensen Foundation for making this possible!"

Mr. Lau received his Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School at Rice University and his undergraduate degree in Music Vocal Performance from Whitman College. He has participated in young artist programs at the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Opera Theater Center, the Merola Opera Program, Florida Grand Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. He has been recognized in several other competitions, including winning the 2015 George London Foundation Vocal Competition.

Other 2016 Jensen award winners were mezzo-soprano Allegra de Vita (Second Award Winner - $10,000), soprano Rachel Schutz ($7,500), and soprano Megan Barrera (Munday Encouragement Award Winner - $3,000). Additional finalists who performed in the 2016 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition were:

These singers distinguished themselves from a field of 97 auditioners and 240 applicants. Judges for the 2016 Finals were Susan Ashbaker, Peter Carwell, and James Morris. (Read their bios.) Judges for the Preliminary Rounds, held Monday-Thursday, were Jensen Foundation Trustees Jane Pardue, Ben Leaptrott, and Oliver Worthington.

About the Jensen Foundation
Fritz and Lavinia Jensen were lifelong supporters of the arts who benefited many musicians and musical organizations during their lives. The Jensen Foundation is dedicated to continuing their philanthropic vision of support for the musical arts. The centerpiece of the Foundation’s efforts, the annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, supports young artists pursuing a career in opera. Since the Competition’s inception in 2000, and including this year’s award winners, 114 singers have received more than $543,000 in support. To learn more, visit jensenfoundation.org.