Jésus Léon

Jesús León was born in Hermosillo, Mexico. Acclaimed for his interpretation of the lyric tenor repertoire and the beauty and resonance of his high notes, he is at the forefront of the singers of his generation. On January, 2010, he received the prestigious “Revelación Juvenil” award from the Mexican government and was presented in recital in the frame of the Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado.

He recently sang as a tenor soloist/Beethoven 9th at Barbican Hall and Birmingham Hall, and 6 concerts at Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK.

He began his operatic training in 2004 at the UCLA Opera Studio, having won a private scholarship to study there. He was a member of the 2006 Solti Accademia di bel Canto where he was coached by Mirella Freni, and an inaugural member of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Programme for 2006/2007 at the Los Angeles Opera.

Operatic performances include Pinkerton/Madama Buttefly at the Grange Park Opera, Alfredo/La Traviata at the West Bay Opera, Nemorino/L’Elisir d’Amore in Mexico with the Sonora Philharmonic, Fenton/Falstaff (cover) Glyndebourne, Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni, Rinuccio/Gianni Schicchi and Arkady/A Month in the Country at the prestigious Opera Institute in Boston; Il Duca/Rigoletto, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Edgardo/Lucia di Lammermoor with Riverside Opera; Almaviva/The Barber of Seville at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Ferrando/Cosi fan tutte (cover) Santa Fe Opera, Cavaradossi/Tosca and Don José/Carmen (covers) both at the Royal Albert Hall.

Jesús León  made his British debut at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2009 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Raymond Gubbay’s Classical Spectacular. With the Festival Euromediterraneo he sang the tenor solo in Carmina Burana in the Roman Amphitheater Ostia Antica. He has an extensive concert repertoire and he has been offered concerts in the principles cities of the United States, Cuba, Thailand, England, Belgium, Italy and Mexico.  He has appeared at concert halls including the Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, Wigmore Hall  and Barbican Hall.

He has won grants from The Vilcek Foundation, The Nando Peretti Foundation, The Solti Foundation, the Palm Springs Opera Guild, the Institute Sonora of Culture, the Festival Ortiz Tirado, the American Institute of Fine Arts, and the Opera Buffs Inc. of Los Angeles.

Future engagements include Cavaradossi/Tosca at NI Ireland Opera, Riccardo/Maria di Rohan in Berlin and at the Grange Park Opera 2011.

Latest News! Jesús León has been offered a scholarship by Mirella Freni in the frame of which he will be working on a regular basis with Mrs. Freni.