Richard Leech

Richard Leech (born March 26, 1957) is an American operatic tenor, recipient of the Richard Tucker Award in 1988, and particularly associated with lyric roles of the Italian and French repertories. Raised and educated in Vestal, New York, he attended Eastman School of Music but dropped out after a semester. He began his career in the early 1980s, appearing with the Tri-Cities Opera. Leech made his debut at the New York City Opera in 1984 as Rodolfo in La bohème. He soon added the roles of the Duke in Rigoletto and Alfredo in La Traviata. On March 25, 1987, Leech began a two-decade affiliation with Cincinnati Opera with his debut as Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann. He went on to sing Roméo in Roméo et Juliette in 1989 and 1994, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera in 1991, Cavaradossi in Tosca in 1993, Don José in Carmen in 2004, and the title role of Gounod's Faust in 2007. Cincinnati Opera presented him in a solo recital for its 75th anniversary in 1995.