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Meet the Finals Judges for the 2021 Jensen Competition
The 2021 Competition Final Round are judged by this slate of internationally recognized opera professionals. These Finals Judges have graciously agreed to offer feedback to all 2021 finalists. We are grateful to Maestro Buchalter, Ms. Harmer, and Ms. Garrett for their willingness to support the Jensen Foundation and our singers.
Gregory Buchalter is the Artistic Director and conductor of Opera Fairbanks and Opera Camerata of Washington. In Fairbanks he has conducted L’Italiana in Algeri, Carmen, La Boheme, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, Tosca, and La Cenerentola. Maestro Buchalter currently serves on the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera and was Chorus Master for the telecasts of Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Don Giovanni and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He has also prepared several world premieres at the Met: John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass’ The Voyage, and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. Read more about Maestro Buchalter.
This season, soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer returns to the Utah Opera in her role debut as Elle in an English-language version of La Voix Humaine and to the Metropolitan Opera in Frau ohne Schatten. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Harmer has appeared in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro, War and Peace, Khovanshchina, Parsifal, Die Agyptische Helena, Jenufa, and the complete Ring Cycle. She also appeared in the Met’s HD broadcasts of the Ring Cycle and The Magic Flute, which have subsequently been released on DVD (Deutsche Gramophone). Other recent opera engagements have included the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos and Adalgisa in Norma at the Palm Beach Opera, Senta in Die fliegende Holländer and multiple roles in the Ring Cycle at the Seattle Opera, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Houston Grand Opera, Die Walküre at the San Francisco Opera, and Glauce in Medea at the Glimmerglas Festival. Ms. Harmer graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory and attended the Music of Academy of the West. In addition to being a Jensen Competition winner, she also won the Richard Tucker Grant, the Teatro alla Scala Award, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, and the George London/Leonie Rysanek Award. Ms. Harmer is an Opus3 Artist.
Margo Garrett is an internationally acclaimed collaborative pianist, having performed on the stage and in the recording studio with such artists as Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Elizabeth Futral, the late Judith Raskin, Lucy Shelton, and Dawn Upshaw. A devoted teacher, Ms. Garrett co-directed the Collaborative Piano Department at New England Conservatory and headed the Collaborative Piano department at The Juilliard School. Ms. Garrett directed the Tanglewood Music Center vocal fellowship program and the TMC Vocal Program. In addition, she has served as Faculty Chair of The Steans Institute for Young Artists vocal programs at Chicago Symphony’s Ravinia Festival and held residencies at the Hochschule für Musik, Germany; Vancouver International Song Institute; Taiwan Normal Teacher’s University; Soochou University, China; Music Academy of the West; and Internationale Meistersinger Akademie, Germany. The American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) awarded Ms. Garrett its Most Creative Programming Award for her curation of programs for the Cape and Islands Chamber Music Festival.
More information about our 2021 Vocal Competition:
Meet the Preliminary-Round Judges for the 2021 Competition
UPDATED May 3, 2021 — These are the opera professionals who served as Preliminary-Round Judges for the 2021 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. They watched a LOT of video-auditions this year, and we are so grateful for their expertise and stamina!
Carleen Graham is Director of HGOco, Houston Grand Opera’s community and learning initiative, and she recently announced she will join the Manhattan School of Music on July 1 2021 as its inaugural Associate Dean and Director of Vocal Arts. Dr. Graham is a State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita and was Director of the award-winning Crane Opera Ensemble at SUNY Potsdam for 24 years. She was the co-founding Executive Director of the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, Vice President of Conventions of the National Opera Association, and is a member of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network. Dr. Graham holds degrees from Columbia University; New England Conservatory of Music, and Ohio University, and is an active stage director, masterclass teacher, competition adjudicator, and conference presenter. Dr. Graham is a trustee of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation.
R. Benjamin Leaptrott, Jr. is assistant professor of music with a specialty in collaborative arts at Brenau University and also an Artist in Residence at Brenau with The Leaptrott Trio. He is an active recitalist, vocal coach, and accompanist, and he also served as a past accompanist for the district and regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from East Carolina University, a Masters of Music Degree from Eastman School of Music, as well as Solo and Chamber Music Diplomas from Sweelinck Academy at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Mr. Leaptrott is Vice President of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation.
Oliver Worthington, baritone, is Coordinator of the Voice Area at Butler University and is the producing director of Butler Opera Theater. He performs extensively as an opera singer, oratorio soloist, and recitalist, appearing regionally with San Antonio Opera, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Opera, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, among others. Dr. Worthington maintains a full schedule as an educator and performer and serves as the President of The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation.
Read more of the details about the 2021 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition.
Jensen Foundation Announces Virtual 2021 Competition
UPDATED JANUARY 6, 2021 - The Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation is now accepting online applications from opera professionals 25-35 years of age for the 2021 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Singers can apply at Yaptracker.com to compete for their share of more than $40,000 in prize money. While the annual competition typically takes place in New York City, the 2021 Competition will be 100% virtual.
Instead of inviting singers to audition, the Foundation this year asks singers to submit aria video-recordings. From these submissions, judges will choose twelve finalists who will compete, again via video-recordings, 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 2022 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition
People’s Choice - $500
“Our top priorities are keeping singers safe and supporting their work,” says Oliver Worthington, Jensen Foundation Board Chair. “A virtual competition will let us accomplish both of those goals this year. We love hearing singers in-person, of course, and we’ll move back to that format as soon as circumstances allow. But at this point, we know singers are producing audition videos for companies and other competitions. We will piggy-back on those efforts and, we hope, attract more singers than ever.”
The 2021 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 March 15, 2021;
must be between the ages of 25 and 35 as of March 15, 2021;
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.
must submit a completed application online by the deadline of Sunday, March 14, 2021.
For more details about the 2021 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, visit our Competition 411 page.
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, 388 singers have received more than $747,000 in support.
Jensen Foundation Cancels Its 2020 Competition
Each Applicant To Receive $200 Grant
POSTED APRIL 10, 2020 – The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation announced today its decision to cancel its 2020 Vocal Competition, originally scheduled for May 11-16 in New York City. In the same statement, Jensen Foundation Chair Oliver Worthington announced that each of the 2020 competition’s 235 singer-applicants would receive a $200 grant from the Foundation.
“Mrs. Jensen established the Jensen Foundation to support singers, and if there was ever a time when singers needed support, this is it. The world needs music now more than ever, and we are eager to hear singers’ voices again as soon as possible.”
The Foundation expects to once again host the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in May 2021. Sign up here to receive early notification of the 2021 Competition guidelines and application.
About the Jensen Foundation
The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation is a donor-advised fund of the Foundation for the Carolinas, 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, 388 singers have received more than $747,000 in support.
Meet Our 2020 Finals Judges
Meet the roster of world-renowned judges for the 2020 Jensen Competition Finals, to be held in New York City on Saturday, May 16, 2020.
UPDATED APRIL 10, 2020 — The 2020 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition has been cancelled, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 Competition Final Round was to be judged by this slate of internationally recognized opera professionals. These Finals Judges had graciously agreed to offer feedback to all finalists, had the Competition taken place as expected. We are grateful to Maestro Buchalter, Ms. Harmer, and Ms. Garrett for their willingness to support the Jensen Foundation and our singers.
Gregory Buchalter is the Artistic Director and conductor of Opera Fairbanks, Opera Las Vegas, and Opera Camerata of Washington. This season he conducts productions with New England Conservatory of Music, the North Czech Philharmonic in Prague, and Pacific North West Opera. In 2021, his engagements include Faust with Florida Grand Opera. In Fairbanks he has conducted L’Italiana in Algeri, Carmen, La Boheme, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, Tosca, and La Cenerentola. Maestro Buchalter currently serves on the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera and was Chorus Master for the telecasts of Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Don Giovanni and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He has also prepared several world premieres at the Met: John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass’ The Voyage, and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. Read more about Maestro Buchalter.
This season, soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer makes her debut at Opera Philadelphia as Fata Morgana in The Love of Three Oranges and sings Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus in Tokyo with Seiji Ozawa. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Harmer has appeared in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro, War and Peace, Khovanshchina, Parsifal, Die Agyptische Helena, Jenufa, and the complete Ring Cycle. She also appeared in the Met’s HD broadcasts of the Ring Cycle and The Magic Flute, which have subsequently been released on DVD (Deutsche Gramophone). Other recent opera engagements have included the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos and Adalgisa in Norma at the Palm Beach Opera, Senta in Die fliegende Holländer and multiple roles in the Ring Cycle at the Seattle Opera, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Houston Grand Opera, Die Walküre at the San Francisco Opera, and Glauce in Medea at the Glimmerglas Festival. Ms. Harmer graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory and attended the Music of Academy of the West. In addition to being a Jensen Competition winner, she also won the Richard Tucker Grant, the Teatro alla Scala Award, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, and the George London/Leonie Rysanek Award. Ms. Harmer is an Opus3 Artist.
Margo Garrett is an internationally acclaimed collaborative pianist, having performed on the stage and in the recording studio with such artists as Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Elizabeth Futral, the late Judith Raskin, Lucy Shelton, and Dawn Upshaw. A devoted teacher, Ms. Garrett co-directed the Collaborative Piano Department at New England Conservatory and headed the Collaborative Piano department at The Juilliard School. Ms. Garrett directed the Tanglewood Music Center vocal fellowship program and the TMC Vocal Program. In addition, she has served as Faculty Chair of The Steans Institute for Young Artists vocal programs at Chicago Symphony’s Ravinia Festival and held residencies at the Hochschule für Musik, Germany; Vancouver International Song Institute; Taiwan Normal Teacher’s University; Soochou University, China; Music Academy of the West; and Internationale Meistersinger Akademie, Germany. The American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) awarded Ms. Garrett its Most Creative Programming Award for her curation of programs for the Cape and Islands Chamber Music Festival.
More information about our 2020 Vocal Competition: