Continuing a commitment to support and encourage young singers pursing a career in opera, the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation made grants to two young artists programs for the 2006 summer season. The two recipient programs were the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera and the Young Artists Program at Chautauqua Opera.

The Young American Artists Program was established at Glimmerglass Opera in 1988 as an important component of the company’s mission to provide training and performance experience for talented singers at the beginning of their professional careers. The program has a reputation for excellence in keeping with that of the company of which is a part and in recent years, the Young American Artists Program has attracted more than 500 applicants for fewer than 30 spots.

Michael MacLeod, General and Artistic Director Glimmerglass Opera applauded the Jensen Foundation’s visionary investment in the operatic talent of tomorrow. “The Jensen Foundation’s leadership support—and that of fellow Angels—has helped us to provide artistic development opportunities for 29 of America’s finest young performers this summer.”

For the 2006 summer season, Soprano Holli Harrison was the winner of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Prize at the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera. She was selected by the program Music Director Stewart Robertson. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ms. Harrison is a recent National Winner of the 2006 Metropolitan Opera national Council Auditions, a 2005 winner of the National Orpheus Competition and Grace Moor Competition for singers and the 2004 winner of the Opera Index Competition.

The Chautauqua Opera is the 4th oldest opera company in the U.S. today as well as the oldest continuing summer opera company. Since 1978 the cornerstone of the company has been its Young Artist Program. Like the program at Glimmerglass, the Chautauqua Opera Young Artists Program receives over 500 applicants for just 26 slots.

Jay Lesenger, Artistic and General Director at Chautauqua Opera, believes the financial life of young singers is always tenuous and the gift will make the life of one singer much easier. “I can’t tell you how much it means to the Chautauqua Opera that [the Jensen Foundation] has chosen our Young Artist Program to be the beneficiary of the Jensen Foundation’s generosity.”

Baritone Jonathan Michie was the winner of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Award for Young Artists at Chautauqua for the 2006 summer season as chosen by Mr. Lesenger and Carol Rausch, the music administrator. He was the winner of the Kurt Weill Foundation 2005 Lotte Lenya Competition, the Liederkranz Foundation’s 2006 Reusche Lieder Award and 3rd prize in the 2005 Friends of Eastman Opera competition.

The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation was established in 1998 by Lavinia Jensen in honor of her late husband Fritz Jensen. The mission of the Foundation is to provide support and encouragement for young opera singers who intend to purse opera as a career. Through its annual voice competition, which offers one of the highest financial awards in competition circles, and generous scholarship grants, the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation directly enhances the artistic development of today’s promising young voices.