Join us for an immersive musical experience that places you in the heart of the performance. Taking place in our intimate Studio space, The Sound Studio series brings you up close and personal with emerging classical performing artists.
Pianist Julian Jenson and soprano Susan Leiva explore the rich and often overlooked legacy of vocal music by women composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, with a special focus on France and beyond. Highlighting underperformed gems by truly ingenious musical minds, the program brings to light works that deserve far greater recognition.
About the Artists
Hailing from a musical family in Southern California, Julian Jenson began his journey with the piano and conducting at an early age. He has since grown into a dedicated performer and music educator, committed to using the power of music to uplift communities and foster global connection.
Jenson’s career has taken him to prestigious concert halls and meaningful community venues alike—from the Pacific Coast of the U.S. to Italy, Iceland, Japan, and Chile. Whether performing as a soloist or chamber musician, his music has resonated through schools, churches, hospitals, and beyond.
A versatile artist, Jenson has appeared on television, radio, and streaming platforms both as a pianist and vocalist. His love for vocal collaboration took root in high school and blossomed through his artistic partnership with soprano Susana Leiva, his wife. Their creative synergy has led to co-writing, arranging, and performing across a wide array of genres, including vocal jazz, classical repertoire, musical theatre, folk, and sacred music.
With a deep fluency in diverse vocal styles and a heartfelt commitment to musical storytelling, Julian Jenson continues to share his artistry with audiences around the world—bridging cultures, genres, and generations through the universal language of music.
Born in Santiago, Chile, Susana Leiva musical growth was nurtured by her mother, also a classically trained singer and pianist. Alongside her piano lessons, which began at the age of four, Leiva had been constantly involved in singing with various vocal ensembles that had toured extensively in North America, South America, Canada, and Japan. Altogether she had appeared and sung in over 20 productions before learning the craft of operatic singing. Leiva has performed many roles throughout her undergraduate and graduate training, in both operatic and musical productions alike. She has appeared in Alcina as the titular lead at the Trentino Music Festival in Italy. Her operatic catalogue also includes Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, The Princess in Little Nemo in Slumberland by Daron Hagen, and Mary the Mother of Jesus in Marcos Galvany’s Oh My Son. Leiva has also sung in musicals, including The Sound of Music (as Elsa), and Fiddler on the Roof (as Hodel).
In addition to her work in productions, Susana has extensive experience in recitals, concerts with orchestra, opera scene concerts, and choral ensemble performances across the U.S. Leiva has studied privately with Eduardo Chama, Dr. Raejin Lee, and currently studies with Gerald Moore. Leiva holds a Master’s of Music in Opera Performance from the Mason Gross School of The Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from La Sierra University in Riverside, CA. When she’s not singing or teaching music, Leiva enjoys drawing, interior decorating, and taking on home-improvement projects with her husband.
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