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Brian Leerhuber has been praised as an artist of outstanding promise in opera, recital and orchestral concerts. In recent seasons Mr. Leerhuber has been seen on the stages of San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Utah Symphony & Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Tulsa Opera among many others.
A versatile artist, Mr. Leerhuber’s operatic repertoire spans from the classics to modern works. He has received critical acclaim for his portrayals as Marcello and Schaunard in La Boheme, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as the title role in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Composers of the current day have chosen this artist for lead roles in the world premieres their new operas, such as Tom Joad in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Breedley in William Bolcom's A Wedding, and General Robert E. Lee in Appomattox by Philip Glass.
Mr. Leerhuber has worked with such noteworthy conductors including Harry Bicket, James Conlon, Dennis Russell Davies, Plácido Domingo, Nicola Luisotti, Donald Runnicles, and Patrick Summers. His
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Brian Leerhuber has been praised as an artist of outstanding promise in opera, recital and orchestral concerts. In recent seasons Mr. Leerhuber has been seen on the stages of San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Utah Symphony & Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Tulsa Opera among many others.
A versatile artist, Mr. Leerhuber’s operatic repertoire spans from the classics to modern works. He has received critical acclaim for his portrayals as Marcello and Schaunard in La Boheme, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as the title role in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Composers of the current day have chosen this artist for lead roles in the world premieres their new operas, such as Tom Joad in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Breedley in William Bolcom's A Wedding, and General Robert E. Lee in Appomattox by Philip Glass.
Mr. Leerhuber has worked with such noteworthy conductors including Harry Bicket, James Conlon, Dennis Russell Davies, Plácido Domingo, Nicola Luisotti, Donald Runnicles, and Patrick Summers. His collaborations with directors has included film legend Woody Allen, Tim Albery, James Robinson, Frank Corsaro, and the late Robert Altman.
An accomplished recitalist, Mr. Leerhuber has performed for the Marilyn Horne Foundation in the Sixth Annual Birthday Concert at Lincoln Center, as well as in a solo recital at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, and Foundation sponsored recitals in Tyler, Texas and Carmel, California. Other recital credits include the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Alice Tully Hall, the Bank of Brazil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, Ravinia, University of Illinois at Chicago, Appalachian Music Festival, Cleveland Art Song Festival, Hidden Valley Music Seminars, several Sundays At Four concerts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (broadcast live over KUSC Radio).
A Los Angeles native, Mr. Leerhuber graduated Summa cum Laude from UCLA, and is a former member of both the prestigious Lyric Opera Center for American Artists at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Juilliard Opera Center. He currently makes his home in San Francisco.
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Reviews
"Just as arresting was baritone Brian Leerhuber as Mercutio, matching his sexy, menacing swagger with robust and magnificently tuned singing. The ‘Queen Mab’ aria was the finest moment in a superb and all-too-brief appearance."
San Francisco Chronicle
"As Dr. Malatesta, the oil that greases this elaborate conspiracy, Brian Leerhuber was sleazy in character but fleet of voice. Not only did he match Del Carlo’s rapid-fire patter note for note, he complemented it with lyrical passages, as in his compelling ‘Bella siccome un’angelo’ in the first scene of Act I. Del Carlo and Leerhuber stole the show repeatedly, individually and together, but nowhere more entertainingly than at the conclusion of their aforementioned duet, where they lapsed briefly into a broken English (“Don’t-a worry, Don Pasquale”)."
Opera News
"Energizing this production in every way is baritone Brian Leerhuber, a vocal dynamo who lights up the production from the moment he dashes onstage the first time. He assures that Figaro, Count Almaviva's ever-shrewd barber, is very much the center of the action."
The Denver Post
