Meet Our 2020 Finals Judges

UPDATED APRIL 10, 2020 — The 2020 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition has been cancelled, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 Competition Final Round was to be judged by this slate of internationally recognized opera professionals. These Finals Judges had graciously agreed to offer feedback to all finalists, had the Competition taken place as expected. We are grateful to Maestro Buchalter, Ms. Harmer, and Ms. Garrett for their willingness to support the Jensen Foundation and our singers.

Gregory Buchalter is the Artistic Director and conductor of Opera Fairbanks, Opera Las Vegas, and Opera Camerata of Washington. This season he conducts productions with New England Conservatory of Music, the North Czech Philharmonic in Prague, and Pacific North West Opera. In 2021, his engagements include Faust with Florida Grand Opera. In Fairbanks he has conducted L’Italiana in Algeri, Carmen, La Boheme, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, Tosca, and La Cenerentola. Maestro Buchalter currently serves on the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera and was Chorus Master for the telecasts of Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Don Giovanni and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He has also prepared several world premieres at the Met: John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass’ The Voyage, and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. Read more about Maestro Buchalter.

This season, soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer makes her debut at Opera Philadelphia as Fata Morgana in The Love of Three Oranges and sings Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus in Tokyo with Seiji Ozawa. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Harmer has appeared in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro, War and Peace, Khovanshchina, Parsifal, Die Agyptische Helena, Jenufa, and the complete Ring Cycle. She also appeared in the Met’s HD broadcasts of the Ring Cycle and The Magic Flute, which have subsequently been released on DVD (Deutsche Gramophone). Other recent opera engagements have included the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos and Adalgisa in Norma at the Palm Beach Opera, Senta in Die fliegende Holländer and multiple roles in the Ring Cycle at the Seattle Opera, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Houston Grand Opera, Die Walküre at the San Francisco Opera, and Glauce in Medea at the Glimmerglas Festival. Ms. Harmer graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory and attended the Music of Academy of the West. In addition to being a Jensen Competition winner, she also won the Richard Tucker Grant, the Teatro alla Scala Award, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, and the George London/Leonie Rysanek Award. Ms. Harmer is an Opus3 Artist.

Margo Garrett is an internationally acclaimed collaborative pianist, having performed on the stage and in the recording studio with such artists as Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Elizabeth Futral, the late Judith Raskin, Lucy Shelton, and Dawn Upshaw. A devoted teacher, Ms. Garrett co-directed the Collaborative Piano Department at New England Conservatory and headed the Collaborative Piano department at The Juilliard School. Ms. Garrett directed the Tanglewood Music Center vocal fellowship program and the TMC Vocal Program. In addition, she has served as Faculty Chair of The Steans Institute for Young Artists vocal programs at Chicago Symphony’s Ravinia Festival and held residencies at the Hochschule für Musik, Germany; Vancouver International Song Institute; Taiwan Normal Teacher’s University; Soochou University, China; Music Academy of the West; and Internationale Meistersinger Akademie, Germany. The American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) awarded Ms. Garrett its Most Creative Programming Award for her curation of programs for the Cape and Islands Chamber Music Festival.

More information about our 2020 Vocal Competition:

• Meet the Preliminary Judges

• Meet the Accompanists

• More information about the 2020 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition

For Singers Looking for Operas Composed After 1980...

UPDATED April 4, 2024 — For the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, singers must offer one aria composed after 1980. As a jumpstart on that aria search, here is a non-definitive list of operas composed after 1980.

• 27, Gordon (2014)

• A Coffin in Egypt, Gordon (2014)

• A Flowering Tree, Adams | Sellars (2006)

• A Metamorphosis, Christmas (2018)

• A Pregnant Pause, Baxter | Rozsnyai (2024)

• A Quiet Place, Bernstein (1983)

• A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn | Littel (1998)

• A View from the Bridge, Bolcom | Weinstein & Miller (1999)

• A Wedding, Bolcom | Altman & Weinstein (2004)

• After Life, Cipullo | Mason (2015)

• Ainadamar, Golijov | Hwang (2003)

• Alice, An Operatic Wonderland, Scurria (2022)

• Alice in Wonderland, Chin (2004)

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Bates | Scheer (2024)

• An American Dream, Perla | Murphy-Moo (2015)

• An American Soldier, Ruo (2018)

• Anna Hunter, Ching (2017)

• Anna Nicole, Turnage (2011)

• Another City, Beck (2023)

• Another Sunrise, Heggie | Scheer (2012)

• Arkhipov, Knell (2022)

• As One, Kaminsky | Campbell & Reed (2014)

• At the Statue of Venus, Heggie (2005)

• Before Night Falls, Martin (2010)

• Bel Canto, López | Cruz (2015)

• Blind Injustice, Richards | Cote (2019)

• Blue, Tesori (2019)

• Breaking the Waves, Mazzoli (2016)

• Castor and Patience, Spears | Smith (2022)

• Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, Schnyder (2015)

• Clair de Lune, Larsen (1984)

• Cold Mountain, Higdon | Scheer (2015)

• Cold Sassy Tree, Floyd (2000)

• The Companion, Paterson | Cote (2014)

• The Cows of Apollo, Theofanidis (2001)

• The Dangerous Liaisons, Susa (1994)

• Dark Sisters, Muhly | Karam (2011)

• Dead Man Walking, Heggie | McNally (2000)

• Death of Klinghoffer, Adams (1990)

• Dinner at Eight, Bolcom | Campbell (2017)

• Dog Days, Little (2015)

• Dolores Claiborne, Picker (2013)

• Doctor Atomic, Adams | Sellars (2005)

• Dream of the Red Chamber, Sheng (2016)

• El Niño, Adams (2000)

• El último sueño de Frida y Diego, Frank (2021)

• Elizabeth Cree, Puts | Campbell (2017)

• Elmer Gantry, Aldridge | Garfein (2007)

• Emmeline, Picker (1996)

• Empty the House, Orth (2019)

• The Enchanted Pig, Dove | Middleton (2006)

• Escobar, Neri | Martinez (2017)

• Eurydice, Aucoin | Ruhl (2020)

• The Exterminating Angel, Adès |Cairns (2016)

• Factotum, Liverman/DJ King Rico (2023)

• The Falling and the Rising, Redler | Dye (2018)

• Fantastic Mr. Fox, Picker (1998)

• Fellow Travelers, Spears | Pierce (2007)

• Flight, Dove | De Angelis (1998)

• Florencia en el Amazonas, Catán (1996)

• For a Look or a Touch, Heggie | Scheer (2007)

• Frida, Rodriquez | Blecher (1991)

• Garden of the Finzi Continis, Gordon | Korie (2022)

• Ghosts of Versailles, Corigliano (1983)

• The Gift of the Magi, Conte (1997)

• Glory Denied, Cipullo (2007)

• Goya, Menotti (1986)

• The Grapes of Wrath, Gordon | Korie (2007)

• The Great Gatsby, Harbison | Harbison (1999)

• Great Scott, Heggie | McNally (2015)

• Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, Okoye (2014)

• Having Guests for Dinner, Bentz | Feng (2020)

• Home of my Ancestors, Okoye (2017)

• The Hours, Puts | Pierce (2022)

• House of Orfeus, Ford | Ford (2024)

• House Without a Christmas Tree, Gordon (2017)

• I Have No Stories To Tell You, Beecher | Moscovitch (2014)

• If I Were You, Heggie | Scheer (2019)

• Il Postino, Catán (2010)

• The Impresario and the Dueling Divas, Christman (2021)

• The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, Sankaram (2019)

• Intelligence, Heggie (2023)

• Intimate Apparel, Gordon | Nottage (2020)

• Iron Road, Chan (2001)

• It's A Wonderful Life, Heggie (2016)

• JFK, Little | Vavrek (2016)

• Jackie O, Daugherty (1997)

• John Brown, Mechem (2008)

• Josephine, Cipullo (2016)

• La hija de Rappaccini, Catán | Tovar (1983)

• Later the Same Evening, Musto | Campbell (2007)

• The Listeners, Mazzoli | Vavrek (2022)

• The Little Prince, Portman | Wright (2003)

• Little Women, Adamo | Adamo (1998)

• The Lord of Cries, Corigliano (2021)

• Lucy, Cipullo (2009)

• Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadows, Allen (2022)

• Lysistrata, Adamo | Adamo (2006)

• M. Butterfly, Hwang (2022)

• Madeline Lee, Haddock (2004)

• The Manchurian Candidate, Puts (2015)

• Margaret Garner, Danielpour (2005)

• Marnie, Muhly (2018)

• Mayo, Cipullo (2018)

• McTeague, Bolcom (1992)

• Moby-Dick, Heggie (2010)

• Mother Goose, Jarrar (2019)

• Naga, Wheeler (2016)

• Nixon in China, Adams (1987)

• Old Man and the Sea, Prestini | Vavrek (2024)

• Omar, Giddens | Abels (2022)

• Oscar, Morrison (2015)

• Our Town, Rorem | McClatchy (2006)

• Out of Darkness (Two Remain), Heggie (2016)

• Outside, Blaskie (2019)

• Patience & Pearl, Jarrar | Goodwin (2016)

• Penny, Pew (2015)

• Plastic Flowers, MacDowell | MacDowell (2014)

• Powder Her Face, Ades (1995)

• prisoner of the state, Lang (2019)

• Proving Up, Mazzoli (2018)

• Rappahannock County, Gordon (2011)

• Rattensturm, Wold (2018)

• Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt, Musto (2016)

• The Rift, Ruo (2022)

• The Rivals, Mechem (2011)

• Roscoe, Mack (2014)

• Scalia/GInsburg, Wang | Wang (2014)

• Service Provider, Weiss (2015)

• Silent Night, Puts | Campbell (2011)

• Siren Song, Dove | Dear (1994)

• Soldier Songs, Little | Little (2006)

• Song of the Nightingale, DeSpain (2023)

• The Song Poet, Hagen | Yang (2023)

• Speed Dating Tonight!, Ching (2013)

• Tabula Rasa, Jarrar (2018)

• Taking Up Serpents, Sankaram (2019)

• Tartuffe, Mechem (1980)

• Tea: a mirror of soul, Tan Dun (2002)

• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Talbot (2020)

• The Dream of Valentino, Argento (1993)

• The Long Walk, Beck (2015)

• The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Bates (2017)

• The Scarlet Letter, Laitman | Mason (2008)

• The Secret River, Sung | Campbell (2021)

• The Silk City, Santelli (2019)

• The Tell Tale Heart, Jarrar (2021)

• The Tempest, Adès | Oakes (2004)

• The Tempest, Hoiby | Shulgasser (1986)

• The Transformation of Jane Doe, Garrop (2020)

• Thérèse Raquin, Picker (2001)

• Three Decembers, Heggie | Scheer (2008)

• Three Way, Paterson (2017)

• Thumbprint, Sankaram (2014)

• To Hell and Back, Heggie (2006)

• Treemonisha (Reimagined), Sneed | Chilton (2023)

• Triangle, Solitro (2019)

• Two Remain, Heggie | McNally (2016)

• Uncovered, Laitman | Lax (2020)

• Vanqui, Burrs (1995)

• We, The Innumerable, Nourbakhsh (2019)

• When Adonis Calls, Borzoni (2014)

• Willie Stark, Floyd (1981)

• Written on Skin, Benjamin (2012)

• X - The Life & Times of Malcolm X, Davis (1986)

• you do not recognize the bodies in the water, Jarrar (2022)

• Zorro, Armienta (2022)

Meet the Judges for the Prelim Rounds of the 2020 Competition

UPDATED APRIL 10, 2020 — The 2020 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition has been cancelled, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These are the singers and teachers who were to be our Preliminary-Round Judges. The Jensen Foundation thanks all of these dedicated professionals for their support of our singers.

Kirsten Chambers, soprano, has sung the title role of Salome at the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Hong Kong, and Florida Grand Opera. Her Carnegie Hall debut was Maria in Richard Strauss’ Friedenstag with the American Symphony Orchestra. At the Metropolitan Opera, she has covered leading roles like Isolde in Tristan und Isolde and Marie in Wozzeck. Abroad, she has sung Elsa in Lohengrin with the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Opéra de Rennes, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Favorite engagements include Erwartung with The Orchestra Now, Strauss’ Die Ägyptische Helena with Odyssey Opera, and the Angel in Angels in America for New York City Opera. Ms. Chambers earned degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University and the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. Visit her website to learn more.

R. Benjamin 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.

Oliver Worthington, baritone, is Coordinator of the Voice Area at Butler University and is the producing director of Butler Opera Theater. After a concert tour of South Africa in the fall, he will have performed in Africa as well as North America, South America, and Europe. He performs extensively as an opera singer, oratorio soloist, and recitalist, appearing regionally with San Antonio Opera, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Opera, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, among others. Dr. Worthington maintains a full schedule as an educator and performer and serves as the President of The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation. 

Read more about our 2020 Competition:

• Meet the 2020 Finals Judges

• Meet the 2020 Accompanists

• All the Details about the 2020 Jensen Competition

Only the Best Accompanists for Jensen Singers

Every year, singers rate their Jensen accompanists as excellent, and we know what a difference an excellent accompanist makes to an audition! We are proud to announce that our all-star line-up of accompanists from 2019 is back for the 2020 Competition.

Shane Schag serves on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and at Operaworks in Los Angeles. He has worked in the capacity of vocal coach for Centro Studi Italiani Opera Festival and as an assistant conductor for the Gotham Chamber Opera. In 2007, Mr. Schag made his debut at Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall), and now he serves as staff pianist for Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers concert series, which reaches out to public schools across the tri-state area. Mr. Schag earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Ashland University of Ohio, a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music. He will accompany Jensen singers on Monday, May 11.

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 Elina Garanča, Susan Graham, Hei-Kyung Hong, Ana María Martínez, Anna Netrebko, 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. He will accompany Jensen singers on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 12-13.

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 Jensen singers on Thursday, May 14, and on the Finals Day, Saturday, May 16.

Read more about our 2020 Competition:

• Meet the 2020 Finals-Round Judges

• Meet the 2020 Preliminary-Round Judges

• All the Details About the 2020 Jensen Competition

Mezzo Olivia Vote Takes First Place at 2019 Jensen Competition

Olivia Vote, 2019 Jensen Competition Winner

MAY 18 2019 – NEW YORK CITY, NY – Today, the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation awarded Olivia Vote First Place in the 20th annual Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in New York City. For the final day of the competition, Ms. Vote, a mezzo-soprano, performed “Air de lettre” from Jules Massenet’s Werther, “Je vais mourir” from Les Troyens by Hector Berlioz, and “Wie du Warst” from Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. Ms. Vote received $15,000 as first place winner.

“I am so thrilled to be the winner of the Jensen Competition,” said Ms. Vote. “I plan to use the winnings to take more coachings and language study for some important role debuts coming up: I’ll be singing my first Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos with Cincinnati Opera this summer and also preparing Charlotte in Werther to cover Joyce Didonato at The Metropolitan Opera next season. I would also love to get back to Europe and audition for some theaters this fall, and this money will make that possible.”

“My experience with the Jensen Competition was so uplifting. The judges greeted you with a smile, genuinely watched while you sang, and gave helpful, constructive feedback. Thanks to this competition, I have made connections with new companies and conductors I would not have otherwise made. It's an honor to have won this year, and I thank the Jensen Foundation for giving singers the opportunity to thrive and move ahead in our careers.” Ms. Vote received her Masters degree in Music from the Yale School of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Visit Ms. Vote’s website here.

Other 2019 Jensen award winners were mezzo-soprano Corrie Stallings (Second Place Award Winner - $10,000), soprano Teresa Castillo (Third Place Award Winner - $7,500), and soprano Sylvia D’Eramo (Munday Encouragement Award Winner - $3,000). 

Corrie Stallings | Teresa Castillo | Sylvia D’Eramo

Additional finalists who performed in the 2019 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition were:

• Sydney Anderson | Soprano

• Mario Diaz-Moresco | Baritone

• Leah Heater | Mezzo-Soprano

• Helen Huang | Soprano

• Jessica Johnson Brock | Mezzo-Soprano

• Laura Leon | Soprano

• Amy Owens | Soprano

• Tyler Putnam | Bass

• Timothy Renner | Baritone

• Kenneth Stavert | Baritone

These singers distinguished themselves from a field of 112 auditioners and 254 applicants. Judges for the 2019 Jensen Finals were Harolyn Blackwell, Vincent de Kort, and Bill Powers (Read their bios here.) Judges for the Preliminary Rounds, held Monday-Thursday, were Kirsten Chambers, soprano; Ben Leaptrott (Brenau University); and Oliver Worthington (Butler University). The 2019 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition was held May 13-18 in the Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City.

About the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation
The Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit foundation, established by Lavinia Jensen in honor of her late husband, Fritz Jensen. 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, 153 singers have received more than $700,000 in support.