Originally from Northern New York, tenor Jacob Zehr sings to excite the inherent storytelling in music and has a fondness for chamber groups and early baroque repertoire. Currently, he studies with Dr. Sarah Brailey at the University of Wisconsin-Madison pursuing a M.M. in Voice Performance.
Jacob recently collaborated with Luther Memorial Church of Madison as the tenor soloist on Bach’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 and consistently sings early music at local churches. This year, he is preparing Mass in B minor, BWV 232 with Madison Bach Musicians and conductor Andrew Megill.
Thriving in his music studies, Jacob won UW-Madison’s 2025 Concerto Competition with Les Illuminations and was selected to participate in a masterclass for Joyce Didonato. He is no stranger to other vocal genres, finding success in opera (Don Basilio – Le nozze di Figaro, Stage Manager – Rorem’s Our Town), musical theatre (Jason – Ordinary Days, Jesus – Godspell 2012, Frederic – Pirates of Penzance), and professional choirs (Madison Choral Project, Camerata Singers). Jacob recently reprised the tenor solo in Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 after first performing this work alongside basso profundo Glen Miller in 2016.
Jacob has a passion for teaching young singers as a choral educator and arranges choir music for ensembles in his spare time. He is a seasoned lighting designer and dreams of finding ways to enhance vocal performances with this skill set.
Growing up in the beauty of the Adirondacks, he loves to be outdoors canoeing, sailing, or playing pond hockey.