About

B.A. in Music Composition, secondary emphasis in Voice - Pepperdine University
M.M in Music Composition (in Progress) - Mannes School of Music

Jens Ibsen, composer/vocalist, is a tenor and trained opera singer whose vocal talents have led him to performances from Dubai to Shanghai, with stops along the way on German television and at Carnegie Hall and the UN. Jens was the principal soloist and first African-born member of the world-renowned Vienna Boys Choir. He completed his B.A in Music Composition under Dr. Lincoln Hanks while studying voice under Dr. Louise Lofquist. At Pepperdine, Jens was one of the three Pickford Composers chosen to write music for silent film for the Up Against the Screen project through the Mary Pickford Foundation. This entailed writing over 20 minutes of music for chamber ensemble at a live screening of the film A Little Princess. He is currently pursuing his M.M. in Music Composition at the Mannes School of Music under Missy Mazzoli.

Born in Accra, Ghana to a Ghanaian mother and an American father (of Danish descent), Jens' works are primarily influenced by the music of his multi-racial childhood: elements of West African drumming, classic vocal jazz, as well as his longtime passion for music of the Middle East and South Asia, have all found their voices in his style. His repertoire spans vocal and choral music, chamber music, and orchestral works. His vision is to create music that is ecumenical, perennial, and accessible in a postmodern idiom. He is also a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.

Music

Art Song in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian and English. Recent engagements have featured works by Bellini, Leoncavallo, Schubert, Wolf, Poulenc, Duparc, Quilter, and more.

I am also a performer of operatic lyric tenor repertoire, such as the Rossini Cujus animam, Salut, demeure chaste et pure from Gounod's Faust, Dein ist mein ganzes Herz by Lehar, and Questa o quella from Verdi's Rigoletto.

Videos

Audio