Hello

A former athlete, Jacob Eliot Elfner traded in basketball shoes and athletic shorts for wingtips and suits, and he hasn’t looked back. An emerging soloist, Jake has performed on stages, has sung in churches, and has given recitals around the US and across the globe. In the summer of 2022, Jake made his international debut, giving a recital in Haifa, Israel at the Samuel Rubin Music Conservatory. During the same summer, he also participated in the program Classical Singing and New York in June. Through this program, Jake sang Maurice Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée on CSNY’s final recital in Manhattan. Previously, Jake also began work as an oratorio soloist, performing the baritone solos in Gabriel Faure’s Requiem at the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore.

 

On the stage, Jake has experience performing musical theater and opera. In his home state of Wisconsin, he began his stage life and solo singing career in the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Alan Menken’s A Christmas Carol. While in his undergraduate program, he sang the roles of Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bob (The Old Maid and the Thief), Cinderella’s Prince (Into the Woods), and Alcindoro (La Bohème) with UW-Madison’s Opera Theater. After moving to Baltimore, Jake premiered the role of Adam in Ashna Pathan’s new musical Senior Year is Gonna Kill Me at the Arellano Theater at Johns Hopkins University. This fall, Jake will be making his debut with Peabody Opera as Le Surintendant and a chorus member in Cendrillon.

 

Jake’s artistic abilities extend beyond those as a soloist; he is an active member of the choral community in Baltimore. At Peabody, Jake sings with the Peabody NEXT ensemble, which is conducted by Dr. Beth Willer. In the greater Baltimore community, Jake sings as a vocal fellow with Baltimore Choral Arts Society, with whom he has sung in the chorus of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, and Mozart’s Requiem. He is also a section leader at First & Franklin Presbyterian Church. Jake was also a member of the choral community in Madison, having sung with UW-Madison Chorale and Concert Choir, as well as being a member of the Early Music ensemble The Mendota Consort.

 

Though he no longer plays competitively, Jake is still an avid sports fan in his personal life. Every now and then, he laces up his old sneakers to play a game or two of pickup basketball. During the summer, you can often find him at Camden Yards watching the Orioles, and on football Sundays, he will be watching the Packers. Jake is also an animal lover, and he will ask to pet your dog if he passes you on the street. Jake would also like to thank his family for their unending love and support in his life, as well as his teachers and mentors, especially Dr. Carl DuPont and Paul Rowe, for sharing their guidance and knowledge.