Lauren Jelencovich has garnered great acclaim for her affecting and sparkling portrayals of opera and musical theater roles throughout the United States and abroad. Lauren is currently on a World Tour with Yanni as his featured vocalist, and recently returned from Egypt, India, South America, China, Thailand, Russia and Dubai among other countries. She is featured on his album "Inspirato" alongside artists such as Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Rolando Villazon and more. Additionally, she performed at the famed El Morro in Puerto Rico to sold out audiences with Yanni to film and record the live DVD/ CD and PBS special: “Yanni: Live at El Morro!” Lauren is also on Yanni’s other PBS specials "Yanni: World without Borders” and “The Dream Concert” which filmed and performed in front of the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. The Yanni tour was brought to Saudi Arabia, where Lauren was the first woman in recent history to sing on stage for a mixed audience. It was the first time that families could come together to see a concert. She says it was one of the most moving moments she has ever experienced on stage.
Featured in People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People and Teen Magazine, Ms. Jelencovich was a grand prize winner on Ed McMahon’s Star Search and the recipient of Andrea Bocelli’s National Italian American Foundation World Scholarship. Highlights of past seasons include her debut at Carnegie Hall singing Benjamin Britten's Te Deum in C with the Oratorio Society of New York, and her debut at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) singing the role of Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music, directed by Isaac Mizrahi. She was also a part OTSL’s Gerdine Young Artist Program and covered the role of Violet Beauregard in the world premiere of the opera The Golden Ticket, based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
She earned critical accolades for her portrayal of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica at Opera Tampa, under the baton of Anton Coppola. Other opera credits include the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberfloete at the Intermezzo Festival in Belgium, Sophie in Werther and Papagena in Die Zauberfloete with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel.
A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), Ms. Jelencovich made her debut Off-Broadway in the world premiere of The Music Teacher by Wallace & Allen Shawn, and made her debut at Forestburgh Playhouse, playing the lead role of Teddy Stern in the 1950′s hit musical Wish You Were Here. Lauren won 2nd Prize at the Gerda Lissner Competition, performing at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Auditorium, and won the Lys Symonette Award in the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition.
Lauren pursued further studies with William Esper at the William Esper Acting Studio and is a member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists and SAG-AFTRA. She has performed at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, the Burj Khalifa, the Kremlin, Carnegie Hall, The Microsoft Theatre and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Walt Disney World, MGM Grand and Hard Rock Live in Las Vegas.
A deeply passionate artist, Lauren is equally at home in Broadway, pop and classical music. Enthralled with Lauren’s talent, Grammy award winning producers Joel Diamond and Joel Dorn were working with Lauren on a recording project just prior to Joel Dorn’s untimely passing. Lauren recorded her first album at the age of 16, teaming up with Grammy award-winning writer/producer Dave Merenda. He produced and wrote the songs for her album. Her second CD is self-titled and features an original song called “Wildest Dreams.”
Lauren has been involved with programs such as Sherrill Milnes’ and Disney’s “VOICExperience” and Joan Dornemann’s International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI), performing in Puerto Rico, Virginia, Montreal, and Tel Aviv. She has also been involved with IVAI’s and MSM’s outreach programs. She performed in the school’s American Music Theatre Ensemble, under Carolyn Marlow and continues to study with the acclaimed vocal teacher, Patricia McCaffrey. Lauren is currently writing and working on a new album.
