Leslie Ann Bradley, Soprano

Biography

Leslie Ann Bradley is a young soprano whose remarkable vocal gifts are firmly supported by preparation at the highest level.  Ms. Bradley holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Toronto, a Diploma from the U of T’s Opera Division and she is also an alumna of the Orford Festival where she performed Donna Elvira in DON GIOVANNI.  She also attended Tanglewood and the Académie International de musique Maurice Ravel in France, studying with the renowned Françoise Pollet.  Her success there was marked by receiving the Prix du chant Pierre Bernac as winner of the Academy’s voice competition. She was featured in Rossini’s PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE with both the Grand Philharmonic Choir and Hamilton’s Bach-Elgar Choir, sang Micaëla in Peter Brook’s TRAGEDY OF CARMEN with the Boston Midsummer Opera, and was heard in Orff’s CARMINA BURANA with the Victoria Symphony.

Hailed for her performance in Beethoven’s MISSA SOLEMNIS with the Winnipeg Symphony, Ms. Bradley debuted last season with the Calgary Philharmonic in CARMNINA BURANA.  Further engagements included recitals for Toronto Summer Music and a New Year’s Day concert in Victoria devoted to the music of operetta.

In 2011-2012, she sings CARMINA BURANA for Brott Summer Music, Brahms’ REQUIEM for the Mendelssohn Choir, appears in recital for the Elora Festival and Aldeburgh Connection and will be Micaëla in CARMEN for Pacific Opera Victoria.

In addition to her authority in French mélodie, she has a number of roles to her credit including Contessa in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI and Fiordiligi in COSI FAN TUTTE.  As Rosalinde in DIE FLEDERMAUS for Saskatoon Opera, she was acclaimed in the press as ‘simply wonderful, possessing a spectacular voice’.  She was a winner in the New England Metropolitan Opera competition and was invited to join previous Met Regional Finalists in a concert marking the opening of the Concord Performing Arts Centre (Massachusetts).  She sang Elvira in the Toronto Summer Music Festival’s production of DON GIOVANNI, debuted for Chorus Niagara in ELIJAH and was heard in Opera de Montréal’s SUOR ANGELICA.  Ms. Bradley recently returned to Chorus Niagara to sing Paul McCartney’s ECCE COR MEUM.

Ms. Bradley appeared on BRAVO television in “Love Story”, part of a series entitled Opera Stories.  She also recorded two episodes of “Opera Easy” for Bravo, singing excerpts from ROMÉO ET JULIETTE and ORFEO ET EURIDICE.  In the spring of 2006, she was heard in recital on CBC Radio Two.  Further roles in her repertoire include Norina in DON PASQUALE and Adina in L’ELISIR D’AMORE, while her concert repertoire includes the works of Bach, Mozart and Rutter.  She has been a winner of the Czech and Slovak International Competition, Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques competition, Journée de la Musique Française Music Competition (Montreal) and has received support from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.