Meet our 2026 Jensen Accompanists

When the Jensen Competition grants auditions, we offer singers the option to perform with professional accompanists we make available at no charge. We are delighted to work with three of New York’s finest collaborators!

Artyom Pak has performed in the U.S., Europe, and Central Asia as both a soloist and collaborative pianist. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he played his first solo recital at the age of 9. After graduating from Uspensky Lyceum, Mr. Pak received a full scholarship to study at Mannes School of Music in New York, where he pursued his undergraduate and master’s degrees. In 2022, he received the professional studies diploma in vocal collaborative piano from Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Pak served as a piano fellow with The Juilliard School's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. He currently serves as director of Apprentice Artists Program and a member of music staff at Sarasota Opera as well as seasonal staff pianist at The Juilliard School. Learn more by visiting his website. Mr. Pak will accompany singers scheduled to audition Monday, May 18. Photo by Nikolai Sirin.

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 singers scheduled to audition Tuesday and Wednesday, May 19-20.

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 Placido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Elina Garanča, Susan Graham, Hei-Kyung Hong, Ana María Martínez, Anna Netrebko, Nadine Sierra, 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. Mr. Kelly will accompany singers scheduled to audition on Thursday, May 21, and at the Finals Competition on Saturday, May 23. Photo by Jonthan Tichler.

More About the 2026 Jensen Competition

• Meet the Preliminary Judges

• Competition FAQ

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Meet our 2026 Preliminary Judges

The 2026 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition is pleased to welcome once again these esteemed music professionals as Preliminary Judges, hearing our auditioners May 18-21, 2026.

Kirsten Chambers, soprano, is most known for her portrayal of the title role of Salome, which she performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Hong Kong, Florida Grand Opera, and most recently at San Diego Opera. She made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Maria in Strauss’ Friedenstag with the American Symphony Orchestra. At the Metropolitan Opera, she covered leading and supporting roles, including Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Helmwige in Die Walküre, and Marie in Wozzeck. Internationally, she debuted as Elsa in Lohengrin at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, reprising the role at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and Opéra de Rennes. Regional opera engagements include the Angel in Angels in America for New York City Opera. In Boston, Ms. Chambers performed the Infantin in Der Zwerg, the title role in Strauss’ Die ägyptische Helena, and Mrs. Poe in The Voyage of Edgar Allen Poe with Odyssey Opera. Photo by Dario Acosta.

R. Benjamin “Ben” 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, serving as 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, and a Solo Diploma from Sweelinck Academy at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Mr. Leaptrott is Vice President of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Fund, a component fund of Foundation For The Carolinas.

Dr. Oliver Worthington II, baritone, is acclaimed as an opera singer, oratorio soloist, and recitalist, having performed with such presenters as Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, San Antonio Opera, San Antonio Symphony. A champion of living composers, he premieres and commissions new works to include diverse representation and visibility in the art song repertoire. His most recent commission was for Last Summer on Neptune, a collaboration with Matthew Ricketts and Mark Campbell. Dr. Worthington is the Vocal Area Coordinator and the Producing Director of Butler Opera Theatre at Butler University. He maintains a full schedule as an educator and performer and serves as the President of The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation, a component fund of Foundation For The Carolinas. Dr. Worthington received degrees from Converse College, The New England Conservatory of Music, and The University of Texas at Austin. He collaborated with his Butler colleague Dr. Dana Zenobi to create the award-winning recording Joys Abiding; Soprano and Baritone Duets by Historical Women Composers at Navona Records, a division of PARMA Recordings. They published an annotated anthology of the scores using the same title through Classical Vocal Reprints.

More About the 2026 Jensen Competition

• Meet the Accompanists

• Competition FAQ

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Application Now Live To Compete in the 26th Annual Jensen Competition

POSTED 20 Dec 2025 – The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition is pleased to announce it is now accepting applications to compete in the 2026 competition taking place May 18-23, at Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City. Judges will hear 100 singers in the Preliminary Round and choose twelve singers to compete in the Final Round of the competition at noon on Saturday, May 23.

Singers auditioning for the 2026 Jensen Competition will prepare five operatic arias: one in Italian, one in French, one in German, one in English, and a fifth in the language of their choice. At least one of the five arias must have been composed after 2000.

2026 Finalists compete for:

• First Place - $15,000

• Second Place - $10,000

• Facing Forward Award - $10,000 (for the finest performance of a 21st-century aria)

• Third Place - $7,500

• Munday Encouragement Award - $3,000

• Remaining finalists win $750

The application deadline is Sunday, March 15, 2026, and readers can learn about 2026 eligibility requirements here.

About the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation

The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation, a Donor Advised Fund of Foundation For The Carolinas, was established by Lavinia Jensen in honor of her late husband, Fritz. 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, 461 singers have received more than $985,000 in support.

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All the Arias Sung at the 2025 Competition

At the 2025 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, our judges heard a wide variety of arias. For those seeking inspiration for new arias — or just curious about what was offered! - we are pleased to share the full list.

• The list in downloadable-and-searchable Excel

• The list as an easy-to-print PDF

And for an additional resource for those seeking new works, here’s a partial list of operas composed since 2000.

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Mezzo Sadie Cheslak Wins 2025 Jensen Competition

Sadie Cheslak, mezzo-soprano

Saturday, May 17, 2025 — NEW YORK, NY – Today, the Jensen Foundation has awarded mezzo-soprano Sadie Cheslak the First Place grant award in the 25th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. For her arias, Ms. Cheslak performed “Weiche, Wotan! Weiche!” from Wagner’s Das Rheingold and “My husband was an ugly man” from The Listeners by composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek. Ms. Cheslak receives $15,000 as first-place grant winner.

Said Ms. Cheslak, “The Jensen Foundation’s commitment to supporting artists they believe in means everything to me. It’s a vote of confidence in who I am as an artist. It felt incredible to receive first prize, and I can’t begin to describe the ways this generous prize is going to open doors for me. I’m overwhelmingly grateful.”

Ms. Cheslak received her Master of Music Degree from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Concordia College. She has been chosen as a Young Artist for the 2025 Merola Opera Program in San Francisco this summer. To learn more, follow Ms. Cheslak on Instagram.

The Jensen Foundation extends its congratulations to its additional 2025 Jensen grant award winners: soprano Abigail Raiford (Second Place grant winner - $10,000); soprano Esther Tonea (Third Place grant winner - $7, 500); mezzo-soprano Winona Martin and soprano Virginia Mims (co-winners of the Munday Encouragement Grant - $3,000 each); and soprano Maggie Kinabrew, winner of the $10,000 Facing Foward grant for the best performance of a 21st-century aria.

These nine outstanding artists also advanced to the Finals Round of the 2025 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Each receives a $750 grant award:

• Patrick Bessenbacher | Tenor

• Brennan Blankenship | Soprano

• Charles Eaton | Baritone

• Cara Gabrielson | Soprano

• Julia Laird | Soprano

• Victoria McGrath | Soprano

• Celeste Morales | Soprano

• Joseph Park | Bass-Baritone

• Zaikuan Song | Bass

Finalists in the 2025 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition were accompanied by Dan Franklin Smith.

2025 Jensen Finalists and Judges (L to R) - Patrick Bessenbacher, Virginia McGrath, Cara Gabrielson, Cory Lippiello, Brennan Blankenship, Charles Eaton, Celeste Morales, Virginia Mims, Abigail Raiford, Sadie Cheslak, Michael Eberhard, Esther Tonea, Maggie Kinabrew, Priti Gandhi, Winona Martin, Joseph Park, Zaikuan Song.

 Our 2025 Judges

The Jensen Foundation gratefully acknowledges the work of its panel of esteemed Finals Judges: Michael Eberhard, Director of Casting & Artistic Administration at Opera Philadelphia and Casting Advisor for the Spoleto Festival USA; Priti Gandhi, Associate Director of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition; and Cory Lippiello, Director of Artistic Programs at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Read more about our Finals Judges.

About the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation

The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation, a Donor-Advised Fund of Foundation For The Carolinas, was established by Lavinia Jensen in honor of her late husband, Fritz. 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, 461 singers have received more than $985,000 in support.

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