Jacob Kenison’s relationship with music began early. At eight years old he joined the Salt Lake Children’s Choir under the direction of Ralph B. Woodward, where he spent nearly eight years performing as a boy soprano, singing solos across a repertoire that ranged from Mozart and Brahms to Strauss and Latin folk traditions. It was there that he first understood what a voice could do in service of a story. Among the highlights of those years was soloing on Kurt Bestor’s beloved holiday concert piece “Some Children See Him,” performing alongside the composer before a live audience.

In high school, Kenison turned toward musical theatre, discovering the stage as a natural extension of everything the choir had given him. He was named a Sterling Scholar in Vocal Performance, advancing all the way to the state finals, before choosing an unexpected next chapter: a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with minors in computer science and Spanish. The decision was pragmatic, but the path it opened was anything but ordinary. Two years living and working in Quintana Roo, Mexico deepened his fluency in Spanish and his connection to Latin culture, and a master’s degree in secondary mathematics education followed, along with a teaching post at the high school he had attended as a child.

Throughout all of it, music never left. When Kenison began private study with Lawrence Gee, former assistant conductor of the New York City Opera, everything shifted. Gee introduced him to the great tenor repertoire of the operatic canon, and what began as curiosity became conviction. Under Gee’s direction, Kenison developed the free, consistent vocal technique that defines his work today: expressive, grounded, and adaptable across idioms. He went on to earn first place at the MTNA Young Artist National Auditions and third place at the NATS National Student Auditions in the Advanced Classical division, while building a performance record that now includes principal roles and ensemble work with Utah Opera, Park City Opera, and companies throughout the Intermountain West.

Kenison performs with equal fluency in opera, musical theatre, and art song, a genuine crossover artist in the truest sense. Fluent in Spanish and diction-proficient in Italian, German, and French, he brings both linguistic precision and theatrical instincts to every role. He recently completed the role of Thomas Jefferson in Riverton Arts Council’s production of 1776 and performs this week with Park City Opera in The Tender Land, with Roméo et Juliette to follow later this season. He is actively pursuing opportunities in concert work and professional opera and musical theatre productions.