Jessica Vosk (born September 30, 1983) is an American singer and actress, known for her work in

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

. Vosk is best known for her performance as the lead role of

Elphaba Thropp Elphaba Thropp () is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, ''Wicked'' (2024) and '' ...

in ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

'', which she played on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

at the

Gershwin Theatre The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 19 ...

from July 2018 to May 2019 (a period that included the show's 15th Anniversary). She also starred as Elphaba in the show's second national tour from September 2016 to September 2017. In 2024, she voiced

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

in the

adult animated An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

series ''

Hazbin Hotel ''Hazbin Hotel'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Musical theatre, musical comedy television series created by Vivienne Medrano, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, crown princess, princes ...

''.

Early life and education

Jessica Vosk was raised in

Clinton, New Jersey Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 2,773, an increase ...

,Pennington, Juliet
"The VIP Lounge with Jessica Vosk"
''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', June 23, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017. "The Clinton, N.J., native, now calls West New York, N.J., home. Vosk, 33, who plays Elphaba (the role made popular by Idina Menzel), said she is enjoying spending time in Boston, where her younger brother, musician Daniel Vosk, went to school." starting in community theater at a young age. Her father played in a band and first taught her how to sing. After graduating from

North Hunterdon High School North Hunterdon High School is a four-year regional public high school serving students from six municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regiona ...

, she pursued a degree in musical theater at

The Hartt School The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov, Hartt has been part of the University of Hartford since it ...

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 20 ...

, but transferred to

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

, graduating with a degree in Communications and Public and Investor Relations. She worked in investor relations for three years on

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

before deciding to pursue her

ambitions.

Career

Theatre

Vosk's big break came in 2009 when she was cast as a vocalist for the live concert ''Kristina'' written by

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

and

Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

and performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and at London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. Vosk made her Broadway debut in 2014 in

Jason Robert Brown Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on ''Parad ...

's ''

The Bridges of Madison County ''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling Romance novel, romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of an Italian-American World War II war bride livi ...

''. She was cast as a swing, and she made her principal debut as Marian. She also was an understudy for the role of Chiara. From ''The Bridges of Madison County'' she went to '' Finding Neverland'', in which she was in the original Broadway production playing the role of Miss Bassett and an understudy for Mrs. du Maurier. Vosk played Fruma Sarah in the 2015–2016 Broadway revival of ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

''. She was also an understudy for the roles of Golde and Yente. Also in 2014, she performed as Anita in the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

's live recording of the ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' score which was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award is generally given to the album's producers, principal vocalist(s), and the composer and lyricist if they have written a new score which comprises 51% or more ...

at the

57th Annual Grammy Awards The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive ti ...

. Vosk left ''Fiddler on The Roof'' in 2016 to join the cast of the Second National Tour of ''

'' succeeding Emily Koch in the lead role of

. She made her debut in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

on September 7, 2016, opposite Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda Upland. Her last show on the tour was September 24, 2017, in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio. On June 18, 2018, it was announced that Vosk would reprise the role of Elphaba in the Broadway production of ''Wicked,'' succeeding Jackie Burns. Her first performance took place on July 16, 2018, at the

. Vosk ended her run as Elphaba on May 12, 2019, and was succeeded by Hannah Corneau. Vosk was the winner of the 2019 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Replacement (Female) for her portrayal of Elphaba. Also in 2019 Vosk originated the role of Aunt Val in the world premiere of the musical adaptation of '' Becoming Nancy''. The production played at the Coca-Cola Stage at the

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal Theatre, staged its first production (''King Arthur'') at the Alliance in 1968. The ...

, which is part of the Atlanta Theatre Company from September 6 to October 6, 2019. Vosk was the winner of the

BroadwayWorld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City, New York. Launched in 2003, the site covers Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and international theater productions, with sections devoted to particular countries, cities, or regi ...

Atlanta Best Actress in a Musical Award. On February 17, 2020, Vosk appeared as one of The Narrators in the 50th Anniversary concert of ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...

'' at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. In May 2024, Vosk led the cast of the first production of ''Beaches The Musical'' at

Theatre Calgary Theatre Calgary, is a theatre company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, established as a professional company in 1968. It was preceded by Workshop 14, a theatre study group founded in 1944 by Betty Mitchell. Calgary's ''Betty Mitchell'' awards are nam ...

. From July 30 to August 5, Vosk performed as Jenna in

the Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first s ...

production of ''

Waitress Waiting staff ( BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff ...

''. On October 16, 2024, it was announced that Vosk will return to Broadway joining the cast of the

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

musical ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

''. She will succeed original cast member

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

nominee

Shoshana Bean Shoshana E. Bean (born September 1, 1977) is an Americans, American actress, singer and songwriter. She has appeared in numerous Musical theatre, musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre, Broadway theatres, including in the ...

in the role of strict mother Jersey. Her first performance is set for December 12, 2024 at the Shubert Theatre.

Recording work

Vosk released her first album titled ''Wild and Free'' on August 10, 2018. The album is a mix of

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and includes songs by

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, Sia,

Pasek and Paul Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known together as Pasek and Paul, are an American songwriting duo and composing team for musical theater, films and television. While Pasek usually writes lyrics and Paul usually writes music, they share credit fo ...

, and more. The album debuted on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Charts at No. 29 for Independent Artists and No. 12 for

Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is ra ...

(up and coming musicians). Vosk released an EP of Christmas songs titled ''A Very CoCo Christmas'' on December 9, 2020. In June 2024, Vosk released two new singles. On October 25, 2024, it was announced that Vosk will release her full-length Christmas album entitled ''Sleigh'' from

Concord Theatricals Alchemy Copyrights, LLC, doing business as Concord, is an independent American music company. It develops, manages and acquires sound recordings, music publishing rights, theatrical performance rights and narrative content. Concord is majority ow ...

. It would feature Vosk performing her take on Holiday favorites along with special guests

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

Ariana DeBose Ariana DeBose (; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Ariana DeBose, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe ...

, and

Scott Hoying Scott Hoying (born September 17, 1991)Nguyen, Mindy (December 19, 2016A Pentatonix Christmas (Music Review)The Lion's Roar is an American singer, musician and songwriter who came to international attention as the baritone of the a cappella group ...

. The album would be released for digital downloading and streaming platforms on November 15, 2024. Physical copies would be released on December 6, 2024, in stores.

Solo concerts

After wrapping ''The Bridges of Madison County'', Vosk made her

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

debut at

54 Below 54 Below is a nonprofit cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performer ...

with her first solo show entitled ''I Came to Jersey for This'' in February 2015, the show featured Vosk performing songs that really inspired her growing up on music. The concert was well received by fans and critics. Her sophomore cabaret act ''You Asked for It'' would debut in February 2016 at

Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette Str ...

featured Vosk performing a lot of

diva Diva (, ) is the Latin word for a goddess. Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. It has often been used to refer t ...

-based anthems that inspired her wanting to become a

gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ community. Such figures usually have a devoted LGBTQ fanbase and act as allies to the LGBTQ community, often through their work, or they have been "openly app ...

. Following her run on the first National Tour of ''Wicked'' in 2018, Vosk returned to 54 Below with ''Bein' Green'', a solo show commemorating talking about what her life was like within a year of life on the road. Many of the songs from the ''Bein' Green'' show eventually all appear on Vosk's debut album ''Wild and Free''. Following her departure from ''Wicked'' on Broadway, Vosk began touring in support of her debut album ''Wild & Free'' in 2018. On November 8, 2021, Vosk made her solo debut at

with a program entitled ''My Golden Age'' playing to a sold-out audience. The concert featured an ultimate showcase of Vosk paying tribute to all her musical influences. Following the success of her solo debut there, Vosk would continue to develop a strong relationship with Carnegie Hall including a 2022 return performing a tribute concert to

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

commemorating her 100th Birthday entitled ''Get Happy'', a concert she previously also performed in San Francisco, CA with the

. She also hosted an 8-episode podcast with Carnegie Hall entitled ''If The Hall Could Talk'', centering on many of Carnegie Hall's notable artifacts from the Hall's archive museum. In June 2023, Vosk presented a tribute solo entitled ''California Dreamin at the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the You ...

. The show featured Vosk performing a selection of songs by some of the greatest singer-songwriters from

Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neig ...

, California. Since the New York premiere, Vosk has continued to perform the concert doing multiple configurations with a small band or a symphony orchestra. In support of her new holiday album ''Sleigh'', Vosk embarked on a mini-Symphony holiday tour. She sang for 3 nights with the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

in Washington, D.C. She then followed it up with a return to Carnegie Hall for a 2-night concert with

the New York Pops The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an ann ...

and Essential Voices USA, as part their annual holiday concert there.

Other work

She is the co-host of the podcast "Killing it on Broadway" with Jennifer Simard. Vosk voiced

in the

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

original series ''

''.

Personal life

Vosk has been a resident of

West New York, New Jersey West New York is a Town (New Jersey), town in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, and has a dog named Fred.

Theatre credits

Solo concerts and cabarets

* 2015: ''I Came From Jersey For This!'' (

Feinstein's/54 Below 54 Below is a nonprofit cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performer ...

) * 2016: ''You Asked For It'' (

) * 2018: ''Being Green'' (Feinstein's / 54 Below) * 2019–Present: ''Wild and Free: In Concert'' (Various) * 2021: '' My Golden Age'' (

) * 2022: ''Get Happy: A

Centennial Celebration'' * 2023–Present: ''California Dreamin: The Songs of

'' * 2024: ''Christmas Symphony Tour''

Discography

LPs

* 2018: ''Wild and Free'' ( Broadway Records) * 2024: ''Sleigh'' (

)

EPs

* 2020: ''A Very CoCo Christmas'' (Vosky Records)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vosk, Jessica American musical theatre actresses 21st-century American women singers Living people 1983 births Actresses from New Jersey Montclair State University alumni North Hunterdon High School alumni People from Clinton, New Jersey People from West New York, New Jersey University of Hartford Hartt School alumni 21st-century American actresses Actors from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Actors from Hudson County, New Jersey Singers from New Jersey