Baritone Luis Ledesma performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on March 1 and 3, 2024.

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 débuts with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera and a return to NYCO Opera.

Recent engagements include Scarpia for Opera Colorado, a Founders Concert with Maryland Opera and the title role in Gianni Schicchi for On Site Opera in New York. Last season, Luis sang the Payador in Maria de Buenos Aires with Kentucky Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Sacramento Symphony, and was a featured soloist with the Toledo Symphony in an all-Puccini concert which included the Messa di Gloria and Il tabarro. This season, Mr. Ledesma will be seen as Rigoletto for Portland Opera’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 in Macbeth with Syracuse Opera.

Mr. Ledesma has sung with companies throughout the United States, 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 Opera, Connecticut Opera, Opera Pacific, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Carolina, Memphis Opera, San Antonio Opera, New Jersey Opera, Minnesota Opera, Florentine Opera, Hawaii Opera, Opera Omaha, Pacific Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, and Syracuse Opera. He sang two tours with Andrea Bocelli, performing in famous venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, Hard Rock Café in Hollywood, and the Auditorio Nacional Mexico City.

Mr. Ledesma made his Carnegie Hall début in the Faure Requiem and returned for Dvorak’s Te Deum. He has sung Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Filarmonica de Jalisco. 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 with the NDR Radiophilharmonie, a Verdi concert with Die Alte Opera Frankfurt, gala concerts with Opera Tampa 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.