1) When is the Voice Competition?
a. The preliminary rounds of the 2008 Jensen Foundation Voice Competition will be held Monday, May 12 through Friday, May 16, 2008. The finals, which are open to the public, will be held Saturday, May 17th followed by a reception and opportunity for audition feedback. ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE ENTIRE FINALS ON SATURDAY.

2) How frequently is the Voice Competition held?
a. The voice competition is held annually and is currently in its ninth year.

3) Where is the competition held?
a. The competition is held in New York City. Our current location is in the beautiful Engleman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center.

4) What are the qualifications?
a. Eligible singers are 25-35 years old, US citizens or permanent residents for at least one year, and not a past or current recipient of a contract with an OPERA America Budget Level I company or its international equivalent (not including cover roles, chorus or apprentice/young artist programs).

5) How do I apply?
a. The application is available on our website for download.  The first part of the application should be completed ELECTRONICALLY.  Just complete the PDF using Adobe Acrobat and follow the instructions to submit via email. OR, complete and save the PDF and attach manually to an email.  A copy of the application and the supporting documentation must also be mailed for your application to be considered.  Applications are accepted between January 1 and March 15, 2008—but earlier is better.

6) What is the application fee?
a. The application fee is $30 and is not refundable.  The Foundation has returned the application fees in the past but is instead this year reducing the amount and avoiding the increasing complications of returning the checks. 

7) How many audition spaces are available and how our audition spaces filled?
a. This year the competition is accepting 175 singers. This is an increase of 75 audition slots from last year.  However, last year's competition had almost 300 applicants and was full a month before the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to apply early as spaces fill quickly.   

8) Is there a waitlist for the competition?
a. The Foundation will create a waitlist of qualified applicants when the competition number reaches 175. Names are frequently pulled off of the waitlist and offered an audition slot. Those singers that are offered a slot but are unsure of their availability are encouraged to release their audition time as we have many qualified applicants waiting in the wings. All applicants offered a position on the waitlist will be notified of status and procedures after the initial audition schedule is released in April.

9) May I bring my own accompanist?
a. Yes, you may bring your own accompanist. However, we provide an accompanist free of charge for any participant. Our past accompanists have been Joan Krueger and Dan Franklin Smith—two very highly regarded accompanists in the New York area.

10) Can anyone attend the finals?
a. The finals are free and open to the public. Singers that do not make the finals are highly encouraged to attend not only to observe but to receive feedback from preliminary judges at the reception.

11) May I receive feedback on my audition?
a. Feedback is available for all participants during the reception following the finals. Written feedback via email will not be available after the competition. But all judges will be available as long as necessary following the finals to talk to all singers—finalists and non-finalists. All non-finalists are encouraged to attend.

12) Who are the judges?
a. The preliminary rounds are judged by Jensen Foundation Board members—all current or former musical professionals. The finals are judged by guest judges, rotating each year, chosen from opera company professionals experienced in adjudication. The finals judges do not attend the preliminary rounds and have no communication with the preliminary judges until after the finalists have been chosen. The final's judges are given a specific set of instructions to follow and decisions are based on that day's performance only.

13) How are auditions scheduled?
a. The preliminary rounds are scheduled typically with locally-based singers during the beginning of the week and those traveling from out of town scheduled at the end of the week. Throughout the day, an attempt is made to vary the voice types and stagger those bringing an accompanist to give our pianists a break. While we try to be accommodating in scheduling, we cannot make changes once the schedule is published.