BIO
American soprano Cynthia Leigh brings a special presence to the main stage with her committed performances and unique voice. Noted for her control, she has the capacity to sing powerfully in one moment, transcending to an almost invisible wisp of sound in the next. Always the consummate actress, true to the composer and librettist, Ms. Leigh becomes the characters she portrays, inspiring audiences through her deep and varied emotional range.
It has long been a dream of hers to bring her love of opera and theatre to life, in her own company, hence Genesis Opera Theatre was born. Cynthia also has an extensive theater background, having performed in hundreds of musicals and plays throughout Southern California. Recent directing credits include Amahl and the Night Visitors and Goyescas.
This season Ms. Leigh will sing The Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute Genesis Opera Theatre's fall production. She was most recently seen as Lucy in The Telephone, Madame Goldentrill in The Impresario, the Title role in Suor Angelica and Nedda in the same company's production of I Pagliacci. Recent performances include the Mother in Genesis Opera Theatre's inaugural production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, Rosario in Goyescas with Independent Opera Company and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte with Redlands Opera Theater, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera, The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Riverside Lyric Opera, Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lady-in-Waiting in Macbeth with Independent Opera in Los Angeles and was a featured with Opera Showcase at the National Opera Center in New York City. Other roles include Violetta in La Traviata and The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Independent Opera and California Ballet Opera, Mme. Goldentrill in The Impresario and Nella in Gianni Schicchi with Celestial Opera, Rutter’s Requiem with San Diego Festival Orchestra and Chorus, "A Night in the Park" with Bolletta Entertainment, The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Lucia in Lucia Di Lammermoor, both with Riverside Lyric Opera.
No stranger to the concert stage, Ms. Leigh’s sacred works include soprano soloist in the Requiems of Fauré, Verdi and Mozart. She has performed throughout California in such venues as San Diego Civic Center, Los Angeles Theater, California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla, Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, Hume Concert Hall in San Francisco and John Steinbeck Theater in Monterey