Opera and Music Theatre
Since the very beginning of his conducting career Peter Leech has maintained an active role as a musical director in a variety of opera and music theatre productions. He has been a driving force in the performance of many neglected dramatic works and continues to play an active role in the creation of innovative and challenging projects, both at professional and amateur level.In 1988 and 1989 he was assistant conductor with productions of Donizetti's 'Don Pasquale' and Malcolm Williamson's 'The Happy Prince' with the Elder Conservatorium Opera School. From 1990 to 1992 he was guest conductor with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Victoria (Australia) with whom he performed 'H.M.S.Pinafore', 'Cox & Box' and 'Yeoman of the Guard'. The major highlight of his success was their performance of the Australian premiere of Arthur Sullivan's serious three-act opera 'Ivanhoe' in 1992, a landmark event in the history of Australian music theatre.
During the same period Peter conducted 'Pirates of Penzance' and Kurt Weill's 'Threepenny Opera' with the Queen's College Drama Society and in 1992 collaborated with Gas Theatre Company (Melbourne) for the Australian premiere of Handel's masque/semi-opera 'Alceste' in which the play by Euripides was used as a substitute for Smollett's lost libretto.
At the Barossa International Music Festival in 1993 Peter directed the Basler Ensemble (Switzerland) and baritone Lyndon Terracini in a spectacular performance of the contemporary music-theatre piece 'Bony Anderson' by Australian composer Barry Conyngham. Two years later, in collaboration with international director Jack Edwards, Peter returned to the Elder Conservatorium Opera School in 1995 as guest musical director of Henry Purcell's 'Fairy Queen' which received high praise from the critics.
In 1997 Peter collaborated with director Brian Ralph (Suffolk College) and producer/translator Luath Grant Ferguson in the medieval 'Play of St Nicholas' by the trouvere Jehan Bodel, using vocal and instrumental music by Bodel and other tunes from late twelfth century French sources. Performances in Ipswich were followed by a tour to Arras in December 1997 and a second production was mounted by Spectaculum Theatre Company and King Alfred College, Winchester, in December 2000.