Jesús León
| Jesus Leon | |
|---|---|
 Jesús León at Royal Albert Hall, March 21, 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico |
| Genres | Opera |
| Occupation(s) | (tenor) |
| Instruments | voice, guitar, piano |
| Labels | Opus Arte |
| Website | www.jesusleon.com |
Mexican tenor Jesús León started his vocal studies with the Cuban tenor Jesús Li. He was a student of the UCLA Opera Studio, the Solti Accademia di bel Canto, the Boston Opera Institute and the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera. In Italy he trained for two years under the guidance of the legendary soprano Mirella Freni, who grant him the Nicolai Ghiaurov scholarship.
Early years
His music studies began with guitar lessons at age ten and then voice lessons in the Casa de la Cultura of Sonora at age 14 while at the same time he was singing for private events in his self-created rock band, "Garage".[1] From 1990 to 1995, he played guitar and sang with local bands, Herson Rucks, Europa and Sahuaro and won third prize in the Valores Bacardi national music competition in 1995.
In 1996 León began professional opera studies at the University of Sonora. He sang as a tenor soloist with the university choir and performed in music festivals such as the Festival Ortiz Tirado and the Festival of Las Fronteras. In 1998 he sang in the theatrical production, La Mandrágora.
Between 1998 and 2004, as tenor and pianist, León was a member of several sacred ensembles that led him to create his own ensemble, Cantiquo.[2][3] For six years he sang in the Notte di Pasta of the hotel Fiesta Americana of Hermosillo. He also recorded a CD called Recuerdo de una Notte di Pasta.
Opera career
His recent engagements have included Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at the Atlanta Opera and at the ROH Muscat for the Monte Carlo Opera, Arturo in I Puritani at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Elvino in La Sonnambula at Teatro Filarmonico Verona, Teatro Bellini Catania, Teatro Comunale Mario del Monaco in Treviso, Teatro Comunale Ferrara and Teatro Alighieri Ravenna, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Regio in Parma, Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Korea National Opera Seoul, Daegu Opera House and Pâris in La Belle Hélène at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Past operatic performances include Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto at Bregenz Landestheater, Ernesto in Don Pasquale at the Innsbruck Landestheater, Alfredo in La Traviata at Scottish Opera, Dijon Opera, Theatre Caen, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Garsington Opera and Birgitta Festival and Riccardo in Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan in Berlin.
His intense concert activities have taken him to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall (Raymond Gubbay’s Classical Spectacular), the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Spirit of Christmas and New Year’s Eve gala, New Year’s concert), Birmingham Symphony Hall, Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, Orchestra Verdi in Milan (Mozart Requiem) and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria (Berlioz’s Romeo et Juliette).
Among his future engagements Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Teatro Verdi Trieste, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto at the Nice Opera and at the St. Margarethen Festival and the debut of Ismael in Nabucco at the Opera de Nice.
Recordings
His debut recording Bel Canto with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Toby Purser, including arias by Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi, was released on April 2015 by Opus Arte.
Grants
He has won grants from Jose Iturbi Foundation, The Vilcek Foundation,[4] The Nando Peretti Foundation,[5] The Solti Foundation,[6] the Palm Springs Opera Guild, the Institute Sonora of Culture, Festival Ortiz Tirado,[7] the American Institute of Fine Arts, and the Opera Buffs Inc. of Los Angeles.[8]
References
- ↑ Grupo Garage en Teledicion, Canal 12. Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico: Garagehermosillo. 2002. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ↑ "Cantiquo en Charlas de Verano, 11 Septiembre, 2001" (PDF). elimparcial.com. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
- ↑ "Cantiquo en concierto, 13 de Agosto 2002" (PDF). elimparcial.com. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
- ↑ "Vilcek Foundation Sponsored Programs Santa Fe Apprenticeship". vilcek.org. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ↑ "Nurturing Classical Singers: Supporting the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto". nandoperettifound.org. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ↑ "Solti Foundation Previous Award Winners, Accademia Solti 2006 Summer Masterclass". soltifoundation.com. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ↑ "Revelacion Juvenil / Jesus Leon, Tenor(2009)". festivalortiztirado.com. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ↑ "Opera Buffs Awards $20,000 to Aspiring Young Singers". californiachronicle.com. Retrieved 2010-02-20.