Leah Gordon, began her studies at the University of Toronto with Mary Morrison, finishing in 2005 with a Masters of Music in Performance degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she won the prestigious Susan Longfield Prize, a competition for all female singers within the institution.
Leah received numerous recognitions throughout her career, but the kickstart to her career was when she became laureate of the Canadian Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, a part of the programme of Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20. This brought her back to Europe where she got second prize of the finalists at the Concours International de Chant de Verviers (Belgium) became finalist at the Concours International de Chant de Marmande (France) and was honoured with third prize at the Concourso Internazionale per cantanti lirici Spazio Musica (Orvieto, Italy). Leah's first engagement followed soon and took her to Gelsenkirchen's Musiktheater im Revier between 2005 and 2008 where she sang amongst many, the roles of Zerlina, Ines in Meyerbeer's L’Africaine, La Comtesse in Rossini's Le Comte Ory, Drusilla L’incoronazione di Poppea and La Folie in Rameau's Platée, which, for her outstanding performances, won her the Gelsenkirchener Theaterpreis 2008.
As a guest she sang Frasquita at the Aalto-Musiktheater, Essen and at the Wuppertaler Theater, as well as Adele for the Deutsche Nationaltheater in Weimar. Having sung a number of unusual operas as fully-staged productions, Leah has also performed in concert as Celia in Haydn's La Fedelta Premiata, and the title role in Mecradante's Zaira. Since 2008 she has been engaged at the Staatstheater Nürnberg presenting a.o. the roles of Micaela, Pamina, Musetta, Blondchen, Mathilde in Guillaume Tell, Medorain Il Corsaro, 4. Magd in Elektraas well as the Rossini roles of Anaï in Moïse et Pharaon, Countessa di Folleville Il viaggio a Reims, the title-role in Donizetti's Emilia di Liverpool and eventually Marie in La Fille du Régiment.
Often praised by critics for her powerful acting talent, combined with the ability to use her voice outside of the classical school of singing, Leah has begun to attract attention in the musical theater genre having sung Mary in Cy Coleman's The Life and Janice Dayton in Cole Porter's Silk Stockings. As a recitalist she has been known to present unconventional programs such as her project in the Staatstheater Nürnberg's Opera Late Night series 2009, which she, along with Wolfram Märtig, composed a program of radically re-arranged classical works from Puccini, Poulenc and Hugo Wolf for jazz-trio, combined with contemporary musical theater and cabaret, entitled Classic Remix. Her most recent undertaking within the Staatstheater Nürnberg's “Liedgut” series 2010, English Breakfast with American Pie, illustrated the similarities between the performance practices and compositions of John Dowland and Henry Purcell with modern american songs, arias and musical theater.
Next season (2012/2013) she will appear in Nürnberg as Donna Anna (DG), Euridice (ORPHEUS), as well as in a new production of PLATEE, to revivals of La fille du Régiment and Carmen.Cv-update: season 2010/2011 |
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