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!