Anthony León is a tenor with a career that has garnered rapid international acclaim. His voice has been praised by Stage and Cinema for its “beauty, freedom of tone, and outstanding breath control. ” Anthony has received some of the most prestigious honors in the opera industry, including the 2025 LA Opera Eva and Marc Stern Award; being named a finalist for the Rising Star Award at the 2024 International Opera Awards; the 2024 Richard Tucker Career Grant; the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition; and First Prize at Operalia 2022 — the most important opera competition in the world — where he also won the Don Plácido Domingo Ferrer Zarzuela Prize. He has additionally been awarded a Career Development Grant from the Sullivan Foundation. Other recognitions include being featured in Opera News magazine and being named “Best Up-and-Comer” in Inland Empire Magazine’s “Best of the Best 2019” list.
Anthony has made major debuts on leading stages around the world. In 2025, he sings Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at LA Opera, Nadir in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Lysander in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma at the Caracalla Festival, and appears in concert with Mozart’s Mass in C Minor at the Salzburg Festival.
He has performed on prestigious stages including The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, the Hollywood Bowl, Salzburg’s Mozarteum, Santa Fe Opera, Carnegie Hall, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Victoria Hall, and many others. Notable recent performances include creating the role of The Consumer in the world premiere of Ellen Reid’s The Shell Trial at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, and performances with The Santa Fe Symphony, Cologne Opera in Germany, the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France, the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony, and with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel.
Looking ahead to the 2025/26 season, Anthony will appear at Teatro Regio in Turin, Lyric Opera of Chicago, return to LA Opera and Walt Disney Concert Hall with Gustavo Dudamel, the Glyndebourne Festival, and more.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Music degree from La Sierra University and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he was awarded the Wendy Shattuck ’75 Presidential Scholarship for Vocal Studies, studying under the tutelage of Bradley Williams.
In addition to his international performing career, Anthony is proud to serve his home community as the new President and Artistic Director of Riverside Lyric Opera, where he brings his vision, artistry, and leadership to further enrich the cultural life of the Inland Empire.