Leon Lake is an award-winning musician living in Albuquerque New Mexico.
Originally from West Texas, Leon (then Leon Eldridge) began making music at a very young age. After studying voice and piano with Candy Sisson in Lubbock, Leon finished High School as a two-time 1st chair TMEA all state participant, and as a soloist on a European tour with The Sounds of America Band and Chorus, where Leon was featured around Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
Leon first attended South Plains College where he studied voice with Ruby Moultrie, and piano with Wilma Ryan and Dr. Hye-Gyung Ji. Mr. Lake continued his studies at Southern Methodist University where he studied voice with Barbara Hill-Moore and coached with Jason Smith, Simon Sargon, and Martha Gerhart, during which time Leon won many national competitions including: the Leontyne Price Young Artist Competition, and as a finalist at N.A.T.S.
During his time at SMU Leon also co-founded and served as the musical director for the award-winning jazz ensemble “Frontier Live”.
Leon has worked as a music and theater educator for almost 20 years. In that time, he has worked as a studio teacher for students with physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as a vocal coach for young professional singers pursuing careers on stage. Leon worked to begin youth music education programs for schools and theater companies across West Texas, including working with a team of educators to start the youth musical program for Lubbock Community Theater.
Leon served as the Director of Performing Arts at the historic Menaul School from 2016 to 2023. As a music educator Mr. Lake has taught chorus, vocal music, acting, and arts history classes, and has directed over 40 stage productions.
As an opera coach and vocal consultant for young professional singers Mr. Lake’s students have been in productions on Broadway and in opera houses across America and Europe.
Leon has worked in church and sacred music since 2005. In that time he has worked as a pianist, accompanist, soloist, arranger, conductor, and music director for churches across Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Lake has worked with multiple choirs from almost every denomination and now serves as the music director for First Presbyterian Church of Albuquerque.
Mr. Lake has performed extensively in opera and musical theater.
Leon’s Musical Theater roles include:
Daddy Warbucks in “Annie”, Beast in “Beauty and the Beast”, John the Baptist in “Godspell”, Minstrel in “Once Upon a Mattress”,
Fats Waller in “Ain’t Misbehavin”,
Dick in “Dames at Sea”, J.C. Squires in “The Music Man”
Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera”
Luke in “Alter Boys”, Father in “Children of Eden”,
Juan Peron in “Evita”, and
Léon in the world premiere of “Two Orphans”, a role written for him by Theresa Rebeck & Kim Sherman.
Leon’s Opera roles include:
Orfeo in Orfeo (Gluck),
Oberon from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten),
Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (Strauss),
Baba in The Rakes Progress (Stravinsky),
and Sesto in Giulio Cesare (Handel).