Anna Leese

Soprano Anna Leese graduated from the RCM Benjamin Britten Opera course in London, 2007, under tenor Ryland Davies. Upon graduating she won a major award from the RCM, the coveted Queen Elizabeth Rose Bowl, for representing the College in the community. Anna has previously completed a MusB degree with First Class Honours at the University of Otago in her native New Zealand, in 2002, under Isabel Cunningham. Anna is currently studying privately with Lillian Watson in London.

Operatic roles include Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo with the Auckland Opera Studio, Female Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte and Rosalinde in Strauss's Die Fledermaus, all for the Benjamin Britten Opera School and Juliette in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette with the British Youth Opera. She has performed the role of Tamiri in Mozart's Il re Pastore at the Linbury theatre, Royal Opera House (where she made her debut at age 24) and three Mozart heroines Fiordiligi, Countess Almaviva and Tamiri with the Classical Opera Company.

In 2006 Anna performed in her first Prom concert with SCO and Norrington. With the Royal Opera House, understudied Arminda in Finta Giardiniera, Musetta in La Boheme and in January 2007 she sang the role of Michaela in Bizet's Carmen with ROH. Since then, at the Royal Opera House, Covent garden, she has performed Musetta in La Boheme, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflote and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos.

She sings for the first time at Flanders Opera.