Aaron Jensen is an internationally-published composer, arranger, producer and performer based out of Toronto, Canada. His love of vocal music, obsession with language, and passion for interweaving musical genres can be heard throughout his body of work. Jensen’s creative offerings have been performed by Juno/Grammy Award-winning artists (Bobby McFerrin, The Swingle Singers, Heather Rankin) by celebrated choirs (Zvonky Praha, Voices of Namibia, Elmer Iseler Singers) and symphony orchestras alike (TUCCA Philharmonic, Orchestra Teatro Puccini, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg). Recordings of Jensen’s songs, arrangements, and compositions are played on syndicated radio stations worldwide, and have appeared on Global Television, CTV, CBC, BBC, FOX and many others. Jensen has enjoyed repeat engagements as vocal director, arranger, pianist, and composer for CBC Television’s Schitt’s Creek. Since completing his studies in music composition at York University in 2006, he has toured internationally, and recorded with various musical groups including Cadence, Countermeasure, Retrocity, The Ruach Singers and The Watch. Aaron co-founded SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, an international a cappella series which has presented over five hundred events since its inception, and has received three-time designation as Top 100 Festivals from Festivals and Events Ontario; Jensen acted as SING!’s Artistic Director from 2011-2015. Jensen is currently the Composer-in-Residence of the Canadian Men’s Chorus, the Artistic Director of Countermeasure Music, the Artist-in-Resident at Beth Sholom Synagogue, and an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre. In his spare time, Aaron designs escape rooms for House of Teams.
In 2015, ‘From Sea to Sea’ – an album of original vocal works composed by Jensen – was released on the Centrediscs label, and distributed by NAXOS Music. In 2011, Jensen was awarded the grand prize by the International John Lennon Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category.
Having recently returned to his roots in musical theatre, Jensen has participated as a composer/lyricist in Musical Stage Co.’s Noteworthy program (2019), contributed to Eclipse Theatre Company’s Musical Theatre Lab (2018), and co-wrote the 10 minute musical, Midnight Laundromat, which was voted ‘Audience Favourite’ at Driftwood Theatre Co.’s Trafalgar 24 (2018). Jensen’s musical Everything There is to Know was workshopped at Toronto Fringe (2017), produced by David Warrack. 14 Characters, with music and lyrics by Jensen, received 5-Star reviews at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2016). His first full-scale musical theatre work, O.E.D., was commissioned by Broadway North Theatre Co. in 2006 and was premiered in a two-week run at the E. A. Rawlinson Centre in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, with a fifty-person cast and full band.
Discography
sing 11: One Louder
14 Characters
- Canadian Choral Journal - Anacrusis“This past month, I have had a love affair with Canadian composer, Aaron Jensen’s new Centrediscs album, ‘From Sea to Sea’….Gorgeous, pitch perfect, beautiful relaxed vocal production, and effortless intonation. This recording is stellar….I often wonder what the future of choral music is; this album answers that question, recognizing and honouring our choral traditions while boldly and successfully experimenting in contemporary music and the avant garde.”
- Valerie Kolko – RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board)
Insanely creative and ORIGINAL .… Jensen expresses a new sophistication in vocal jazz. - Heather Bambrick — JazzFM Toronto .Our hero, Toronto-local Aaron Jensen — I can honestly say this, [he’s] one the most phenomenally talented individuals I have ever met.
- Andrea Warren Musicworks MagazineAaron Jensen’s compositions are innovative and beautiful. His career as a professional singer has made him an adept vocal writer; his choral compositions make use of full spectrums of vocal colour, and his text settings are thoughtful, whimsical, and always clever. The breadth of his experience is noteworthy, and the consistency of his successes, impressive.
- Mouth-Off RadioAll the arrangements are great, but Aaron Jensen’s ‘On the Street Where You Live’ rises to another level entirely…Jensen’s originals are also great. ‘Good Love’ is a particular standout.
- Rebecca Chrisite — RARB - RE Jensen's piece 'Oblong'.Possibly the best composition I’ve heard in nearly 15 years of following the scene.
- Canadian composer/professor, David Lidov“…of the highest standard! O.E.D. is a very good show — stimulating, psychologically complex and intelligent.”
- Notations Magazine - Summer 2015Jensen has an incredible ability to create layers within his pieces…Ingenious.
- Wholenote MagazineComposer/singer/impresario Aaron Jensen is leading the singing revolution.
- Workshop attendee“[Aaron]…opened our eyes to our potential and to the vocal palettes we could use together. He touched on so many things – internalizing rhythm, maintaining focus, manipulating sound, jumping off the page and into music together…”