Ten Finalists Selected for 2026 Lenya Competition; Finals to Take Place in May

The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music has named the ten exceptional singing actors who will compete for a top prize of $25,000 in the final round of the twenty-eighth annual Lenya Competition, the internationally renowned theatrical singing contest. The finals are set to take place Saturday, 9 May at Kilbourn Hall in Rochester, New York. With its focus on both acting and vocal skills, the Lenya Competition celebrates talented singing actors of all nationalities who can "do it all" across the dynamic landscape of music theater.

Having emerged from a group of eighteen semifinalists who themselves comprised the top seven percent of the applicant pool, the finalists are: Lila Chrisp, Dominic Delzompo, Matthew Dexter, Erik Grendahl, Claire Griffin, Stavros Koumbaros, Francesca Mehrotra, Gemma Nha, Sadie Spivey, Ilanna Starr.

The Competition's semifinal round features a unique judging-coaching format. Semifinalists audition in person in New York City, performing a continuous fifteen-minute program of four contrasting numbers, including one by Kurt Weill, then receive immediate feedback and coaching from one of the two semifinal judges. This year's coach-adjudicators were two-time Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and director Victoria Clark and Andy Einhorn, accompanist and conductor for Audra McDonald and Music Director of the recent hit Broadway revival of Gypsy. All semifinalists receive a $1250 cash prize. Kim Kowalke, President of the Kurt Weill Foundation and Founder of the Competition, said of the finalists: "Expertly coached and adjudicated by Clark and Einhorn, they comprise a diverse array of stellar storytellers, who will make the final round in Rochester a thrilling event not to be missed."

The final round will be judged by three esteemed artists whose careers mirror the values of the Competition: Olivier Award nominee and 2010 Lenya Competition prizewinner Kyle Scatliffe, a Broadway veteran of Hamilton, LES MISERABLES, and The Color Purple, and currently appearing as one of the Phantoms in the immersive Masquerade off-Broadway; Tony Award-winner Ted Sperling, multi-faceted conductor and director who has served as Music Director for Broadway productions of My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, and The King and I; and Jeanine Tesori, celebrated two-time Tony Award-winning composer of musical theater and opera, recently named as a Visionary Artist by New York City's Lincoln Center.

Final round events will be available for streaming live online and on demand afterwards at www.kwf.org. Contestants compete for top prizes of $25,000, $20,000, and $15,000 as well as discretionary prizes at the $6000 level. The Competition further incorporates an Audience Choice Award. After the official competition round comes to a close in the afternoon, an evening program in advance of the announcement of awards will feature each finalist performing an additional crowd-pleasing number. Audience members in the hall will be able to vote for their favorite. The artist receiving the most votes will be awarded a prize of $3000.