Meet our 2026 Finals Judges
The 2026 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition Finals will be judged by this slate of well-known opera professionals. Our Finals Judges have graciously agreed to offer feedback to all finalists who wish to stay after the competition on Saturday, May 23, 2026. We are excited to welcome these opera luminaries to the Jensen family, and we are grateful to them for the expertise and encouragement they offer our 2026 finalists.
Markus Beam is the general manager of San Francisco Opera Center. He previously served as Vice-President and Artist Manager in the Vocal Division of IMG Artists where he worked with a diverse roster of artists encompassing both emerging artists and some of the most sought-after names in opera. During his performing career, Mr. Beam sang leading baritone roles with Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Leipzig, among others, and he performed multiple times at Carnegie Hall and New York’s Lincoln Center. A graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts, Mr. Beam also holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts. Having trained as a young artist at the Merola Opera Program, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera, he is particularly passionate about the development of emerging artists.
Jayme Burzette is the managing director of Muse Artists International. He began his career in marketing and development research at the Minnesota Orchestra and The Santa Fe Opera, after which he joined Columbia Artists Management. Mr. Burzette moved to the IMG Artists team in 2016 to support such esteemed musicians as Frederica von Stade, Susan Graham, Sasha Cooke, Jakub Józef Orliński, before becoming an artist manager. In addition to his role with Muse Artists International, Mr. Burzette provides consulting services for Metropolitan Opera Radio (SiriusXM). Mr. Burzette holds a degree in Music Management from Luther College. Photo credit: Jonathan Tichler
Praised by The New York Times as “strikingly original,” Dr. Kamala Sankaram moves freely between the worlds of experimental music, sound installation, and contemporary opera. As a biracial Indian-American and trained sitarist, Dr. Sankaram has drawn on Indian classical music in many of her works, including Thumbprint, A Rose, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers, and The Jungle Book. Known for pushing the boundaries of form and style, she has created work for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden as 2023 Artist-in-Residence. She has been commissioned by the Minnesota Opera (where she is currently a Composer-in-Residence), the Glimmerglass Festival (as 2022 Artist-in-Residence), Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the PROTOTYPE Festival, and Creative Time, among others. Dr. Sankaram holds a Ph.D. from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at the Mannes College of Music. Learn more about Dr. Sankaram on her website.
