Mexican American baritone Luis Ledesma has established a reputation as a “rich and well controlled baritone” (Opera News). He frequently portrays the heroes and villains of Puccini, Verdi and the bel canto masters as well as roles in recent new works in Spanish including Florencia en el Amazonas and El pasado nunca se termina which featured debuts with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera and a return to NYCO Opera.
Recent engagements include Opera Colorado as Scarpia in Tosca and the title role of Gianni Schicchi with On Site Opera. Last season, Luis sang the role of the Payador in Astor Piazzola’s opera Maria de Buenos Aires with Kentucky Opera, Tonio in I pagliacci with Sacramento Symphony and was a featured soloist with the Toledo Symphony in their Puccini concert which featured the Messa di Gloria of Puccini and Il tabarro. This season Mr. Ledesma will be seen singing the role of Rigoletto for Portland’s Opera in the Park.
Other recent engagements include Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Opera Omaha and Pacific Symphony, Augustino in El pasado nunca se termina with Fort Worth Opera, Carmina Burana with the Acadiana Symphony, and the title role of Macbeth with Syracuse Opera.
In the United States, Mr. Ledesma has sung with many companies, including Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, Arizona Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Santa Barbara Opera, Anchorage Opera, Santo Domingo, Madison Opera, Nashville Opera, Portland Opera, Indianapolis and Connecticut Opera, Opera Pacific, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Carolina, Memphis Opera, San Antonio Opera, New Jersey Opera, Minnesota Opera, Florentine Opera, and Hawaii Opera, Opera Omaha, Pacific Symphony, Fort Worth Opera and Syracuse Opera. He also sang two tours with Andrea Bocelli, performing in famous venues such as Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl, Hard Rock Café in Hollywood, Florida, and the Auditorio Nacional Mexico City.
Mr. Ledesma made his Carnegie Hall debut in Faure’s Requiem and returned for Dvorak’s Te Deum. He has sung Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Mann Music Center with The Philadelphia Orchestra and with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He has performed a variety of orchestral repertoire including Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Orff’s Carmina.
Burana with the Louisville Orchestra, a series of Christmas concerts in Hannover with the NDR Radiophilharmonie and a Verdi concert presented in Die Alte Opera Frankfurt. He also performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the Filarmonica de Jalisco and Gala concerts with Tampa Opera and with Festival Cultural Zacatecas, and a solo recital with Festival Classique des Hautes-Laurentides in Mont-Tremblant, Canada. His concert performances include La bohème (Marcello) at the Vail Festival and the Mann Music Center with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah in Spain with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Asturias. He recently added appearances with Pacific Symphony, Sacramento Symphony and Toledo Symphony.