| Store | MusicPlanner | Food&Music |
| SiteMap | AudioFiles | New Releases |
|
|
TRI-CITIES
OPERA
in Binghamton, NY
 - where it all began Young musicians dream of attending Juilliard, or Curtis, or Peabody or some other famous music school. Richard Leech went to Tri-Cities, his first "home" - where he learned the ABCs of singing, the intricacies of foreign languages, and everything else a lad with a good voice needed to know to become a fine opera singer. |
 When
at age 15 he was told he had a good voice, he joined the Tri-Cities Opera
chorus and pleaded with the company's founders to give him lessons. "But we don't teach children!" was the first (and last) rebuff. Indeed it speaks volumes that Carmen Savoca* and Peyton Hibbitt, Tri-Cities' founders and its artistic directors for the past 50 years, have to this day been his only teachers. They nurtured his love of singing and taught him the principle that guides his performances: |
| Photo Credit: Richard Taylor |
| "Communication is the essence of song." |
| Except for a semester at the
Eastman School of Music, there were no formal courses or apprenticeships
for Richard Leech. Like some fabled success stories, he
learned by doing - singing minor parts at first, in time graduating to
bigger roles, supplementing his education with classes at the local university.
At 22, already a "veteran" of Tri-Cities, he was deemed ready
to take on the role of Hoffmann and made his first ever leading-role debut
in May 1980. He stayed at Tri-Cities for several more years - and many
more leading roles. There were welcome "interruptions" in the
form of operatic debuts at regional companies. Then, to no one's surprise,
the kid who "grew up on stage" stepped up to the big league.
|
 But
he returns to Tri-Cities time and again as he did this September 19 -
to open the company's 50th Anniversary season with a Benefit
Gala Concert, a special event which he co-chaired with Placido
Domingo. Indeed, for Richard Leech, Tri-Cities Opera (where
his wife Laurie Higgins is an assistant stage director) and Binghamton
will always be home. |
| Photo courtesy of Tri-Cities Opera |
* A sad footnote: Mr. Carmen Savoca passed away on July 30, 2024 - as Tri-Cities
Opera was getting ready for its 50th Anniversary Season. The Gala Concert on September
19 was dedicated to his memory.
|
Richard Leech's leading-roles at Tri- Cities Opera: |
||
| The Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach) | May 1980 | |
| Don Pasquale (Verdi) | May 1981 | |
| L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) | January 1982 | |
| Norma (Bellini) | October 1982 | |
| Jeremiah - A World Premiere (Fink) | April 1983 | |
| La Bohème (Puccini) | October 1983 | |
| The Merry Widow (Lehar) | January 1984 | |
| Lucia di Lamermoor (Donizetti) | April-May 1985 | |
| Chinchilla - A World Premiere (Fink) | January 1986 | |
| Samson et Dahlila (Saint-Saëns) | April 1988 | |
| Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) | February 1990 | |
| Madama Butterfly (Puccini) | April 1990 |
|
|
|
| BackNext |
| THE RICHARD LEECH
PAGES: HOME THE
ARTIST & HIS CAREER
HIS RECORDINGS
1998-99 SEASON |
| AS
DON JOSE AS
ROMEO AT
GRANT PARK FESTIVAL
A FAN'S THOUGHTS |
| FanFaire
Home PageSite
Map EmailUpdate
These pages are best viewed with a Java-enabled browser. You will need the Real Player plug-in to hear the music clips. Download browser/plug-in |
|
|