Dr. Jeff Kensmoe

Associate Professor of Bass-Baritone
(256) 282-5577
jkensmoe@jsu.edu   

Dr. Jeff Kensmoe (bass-baritone) is an Associate Professor at Jacksonville State University where he serves as the director of the Lyric Theatre program and teaches the Lyric Diction courses, Opera Workshop and Applied Voice.

As a performer, Dr. Kensmoe found success performing in both opera and musical theatre: he toured the world with Phillip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach; in Europe, he performed the title role of Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom; in the United Kingdom, he played Raoul in The American Phantom; and in the United States, he narrated the title role in Alan Hovhaness’ Killer of Enemies with the Eric Hawkins Dance Company. Some of his operatic and musical theatre roles include Papageno in The Magic Flute, Peter in Hänsel and Gretel, Geronimo in The Secret Marriage, Horace Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Judge in Trial By Jury, Frank Maurrant in Street Scene, Lancelot in Camelot, Ace Gruver in Sayonara, Georg in She Loves Me, Raoul in Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera, Michael in I Do, I Do!, and the Shepherd in the off-Broadway production of Bending Toward the Light: a Jazz Nativity.

Dr. Kensmoe has been a bass-baritone soloist in numerous Masses and Oratorios across the United States including Bloch’s Sacred Service, Stravinsky’s Les Noce, Brahm’s A German Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Grabmusik and Requiem, Clausen’s A New Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Pauken Messe and Theresienmesse, Schubert’s Mass in G and Mass in E Flat, and Handel’s Messiah. As well, he has performed on television in the Sondheim Gala at Carnegie Hall, in the soap-opera, Guiding Light, and in Kentucky PBS’ recording of Killer of Enemies. He has appeared as a guest artist at the New Zealand and former West German Embassies.

Prior to arriving at Jacksonville State University Dr. Kensmoe worked at Birmingham-Southern College from 2010-2024 as the director of Opera and former chair of the department and was the Director of Voice and Opera/Musical Theatre at Wayland Baptist University from 2005-2010. He taught private voice lessons at Aims Community College and the University of Northern Colorado while pursuing his graduate degrees. Over the years, he has enjoyed seeing many of his students place at NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) competitions and go on to win scholarships to pursue graduate degrees. He is a past president of the Alabama Chapter of NATS and a current member of Actors Equity Association.