Praised as “darkest-sounding Hagen” (iHearVoices), American bass David Leigh has established himself as a commanding presence across the opera world.

In the 2026-27 season he joins Opernhaus Zürich on tour to the Philharmonie de Paris and Carnegie Hall as Fafner Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. He makes his house debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Commendatore Don Giovanni and returns to Festival d’Aix-en-Provence for the world premiere of Hans Abrahamsen’s The Dreamers as Baron. Later in the season he debuts at the BBC Proms.

Recent engagements include his debut at Opéra national de Paris as Virgilio Il viaggio di Dante, Fafner and Hagen Der Ring des Nibelungen at Opernhaus Zürich, and Colline La bohème at Bayerische Staatsoper. Among his other operatic highlights are Commendatore Don Giovanni at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Canadian Opera Company and Hyōgo Performing Arts Center; König Marke Tristan und Isolde at Santa Fe Opera, Rocco Fidelio with Washington National Opera, and John Claggart Billy Budd at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. His repertoire also encompasses Varlaam Boris Godunov at Opéra de Lyon, Daland Der fliegende Holländer at Staatsoper Hamburg, Filippo II Don Carlo at Dallas Opera, as well as Sarastro Die Zauberflöte at Ravinia Festival and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Prince Gremin Eugene Onegin at Seattle Opera, Gurnemanz Parsifal at Canadian Opera Company, and Sparafucile Rigoletto with Kentucky Opera.

As a concert soloist, he has appeared in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Duisburger Philharmoniker, Mozart’s Requiem with the Dallas Symphony, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestra of Opernhaus Zürich. 

Mr. Leigh was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program and has performed at The Metropolitan Opera in Cendrillon and given a joint recital with Emily D’Angelo at Park Avenue Armory.