MEET THE SACRED
MUSIC TEAM
Dr. Jesse Henkensiefken,
Director of Sacred Music
A Kansas native, Jesse Henkensiefken performs regularly as a cellist and conductor. Currently he serves as the Director of Sacred Music at the University of Kansas’s St. Lawrence Catholic Center, the Festival Conductor for Heartland Chamber Music, and as the Executive Director for the Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance. He was the Program Manager for Harmony Project KC from 2020-2022, and prior to that, was the Director of Orchestras & String Studies, String Division Director and International Music Festival Director at Kansas Wesleyan University from 2014-2019. He also served as the Salina Symphony Assistant Conductor and Principal Cellist during the same time. Henkensiefken has additional experience performing as the Manhattan School of Music Contemporary Opera Ensemble Assistant Conductor (2012-2014), and was the Ars Viva Chamber Orchestra Music Director from 2009-14.
Henkensiefken has concertized throughout Asia, Latin America, and the United States, having performed alongside artists including Zlatomir Fung, Paul Neubauer, Clive Greensmith, Steven Doane, Stephanie Chase, Christina Bouey, Tatiana Tessman, and Mark O’Connor, to name a few. He has studied conducting at both the Manhattan School of Music in NYC and at the University of Kansas. In 2015, he had the privilege of traveling to the Tchaikovsky State Moscow Conservatory in Russia, where he had further training under the direction of Anatoly Levin. His other mentors include George Manahan, David Gilbert, Nikolai Uljanov, Paul Vermel, Leonard Slatkin and Kurt Masur.
As a cellist, Henkensiefken was a Sorbel Award Winner at the Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Competition in 2011, and has been principal cellist for orchestras including Ensemble du Monde (NYC), the Empire State Sinfonia (Brooklyn, NY) Kansas City Philharmonia (Parkville, MO), and the Salina Symphony (Salina, KS). In addition, Henkensiefken has made solo appearances with the Sine Nomine Chamber Orchestra, Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, West Coast Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Manheim Steamroller, Ensemble de Monde and the KWU String Orchestra. During the 2006-2007 season, he was a substitute cellist for the New World Symphony. In 2010, Henkensiefken completed his D.M.A. in Cello Performance at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Tatiana Tessman, Organist & Collaborative Piano
Dr. Tatiana Tessman has performed as soloist with orchestras around the world, including the the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, upon a personal invitation from Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich. Tessman has seen overwhelming success, claiming first prizes at the Glenn Gould International Piano Competition in Ostra (Italy), Santorini International Piano Competition (Greece), 55th Wideman International Piano Competition, the Missouri International Piano Competition and the 50th Cincinnati World Piano Competition, in addition to multiple other awards at the Panama International Piano Competition, the Florida International Piano competition and the Eisenberg-Fried Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition in New York. Fueled by her victories on the international competition circuit, Tessman’s reputation as an outstanding pianist of exceptional value expanded rapidly, leading to engagements throughout Russia, Europe, Latin America, Cuba, Asia, and the United States. Her artistry has taken her to many of the world’s leading venues, including The Big Hall of Moscow Conservatory, The Seoul Arts Center in Korea, Italy’s La Scala, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie’s Weill Hall, where her performance was recorded and broadcast by New York’s WQXR Classical Music Station.
Tessman was admitted to the Moscow State Conservatory, where she studied with teachers such as Valery Kastelsky, Pavel Nersessian, Nikolai Lugansky, Sergei Dorensky (with whom she pursued her studies as a post-graduate student), and Mstislav Rostropovich. After finishing her Bachelor and Master degrees at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatoire, Tessman moved to the United States, where she earned her Doctoral degree at Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Solomon Mikowsky, where she was a recipient of the Elda van Gelder Memorial Foundation Scholarship.
Dr. Tessman is the Artistic Director of the Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance and Organist/Collaborative Pianist at St. Lawrence where she plays at the 11am and 5pm Masses.
Aidan Hill, Principal Organist
Aidan Hill serves as the Principal Organist at the St. Lawrence Center, where he oversees the care and use of the Center's organ, built as Op. 96 by the Andover Organ Company. A Kansas native, Aidan is finishing his undergraduate degree in organ here at KU, having studied with Dr. James Higdon and Olivier Latry, organist of Notre Dame de Paris. Aidan has had the privilege of representing KU and St. Lawrence at international organ competitions in the United States, Russia, and France. He is most at home at the Chapel's organ though, where he derives inspiration from the Mass and the sacred music of Gregorian Chant. Aidan also leads the Center’s Schola Sancti Laurentii, a group of students dedicated to the singing of Gregorian Chant at the Sunday 7:00 PM Masses.
Trevor Good,
Student Organ Scholar
Trevor Good is an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas, pursuing organ performance under Dr. James Higdon. In addition to his academic pursuits, He is also the organist at Church of the Resurrection Brookside in Kansas City, Missouri. He recently won the AGO’s Regional Competition for Young Organists in St. Paul, MN. Trevor began his organ studies in Springfield, taught by Dr. Grigory Frederick Guzasky and Dale Rogers. Accordingly, he has given recitals in Springfield both at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and at John Brombaugh's renowned Opus 35 at First Presbyterian Church. On piano, he won the 2021 University of Illinois-Springfield Solo Competition and performed the first movement of Grieg's Piano Concerto with the collegiate UIS Orchestra. Trevor is a St. Lawrence organ scholar and plays at the 4pm Mass on Saturdays.
Ann Pham, Student Organ Scholar
Ann Pham is from north Kansas City, MO, where she was homeschooled from 2nd to 12th grade. A pianist for most of her life, she began playing the organ for her home parish and is now working towards her bachelor’s degree in organ and church music (‘26), studying with Dr. James Higdon. She is passionate about Gregorian chant and is excited to be playing organ and singing in the Schola Sancti Laurentii! Ann is a St. Lawrence Scholar and plays at the 9am Mass on Sundays.