Leon P. Turner

Leon Turner, a native of Monroe, Louisiana, holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University. He has performed in master classes conducted by noted singers such as Leontyne Price and Blanche Thebam. Turner’s operatic and oratorio experiences include roles such as Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust, Shaunard in Puccini’s La Boheme, Zuniga in Bizet’s Carmen, Doctor in Verdi’s La Traviata, Jake in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Bonze in Puccini’s Madam Butterfly, Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio.  Smaller roles and excerpts include: 2nd Philistine in Saint-Saens’ Samson et Dalilah, Sergeant in Puccini’s La Boheme, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni and Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, the title role in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and King Philip in Verdi’s Don Carlo. 

Turner has performed recitals at various universities and church concert series. He was cast in the movie Leap of Faith by Paramount Pictures as a gospel singer. The movie starred Steve Martin, Debra Winger and Liam Neeson. This movie engagement resulted in a guest appearance with Steve Martin on the Arsenio Hall Talk Show as a featured soloist.

Turner has been a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions in New Orleans, Louisiana, and winner of the National Opera Association Vocal Competition in Washington, D.C.  He is currently a third year DMA student in the Butler School of Music at University of Texas, Austin.