The Bethesda Summer Music Festival

Leland P. Kimball, III

Currently serving as Opera Delaware's Producing Artistic Director, Mr. Kimball has directed over seventy productions, among them Don Giovanni, Turandot, The Magic Flute, La Bohème, La Traviata, A Masked Ball , the world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time (Libby Larsen), and The Hobbit. His direction of Opera Delaware's production of The Jungle Book was described by Opera News as "brilliant". The New Yorker described Mr. Kimball's direction of Aida as "intelligent and clear". Mr. Kimball recently directed Hansel and Gretel for Temple University in a production that won an award from the National Opera Association, and he returned to Temple this year to direct Falstaff.

An award-winning designer with a master's degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, he has received critical acclaim for his innovative sets for the world premiere of Billy and Zelda, The Face on the Barroom Floor, and La Cenerentola . Also a tenor, Mr. Kimball has performed leading roles in Stiffelio, Don Giovanni, the world premiere of Joshua, and the American premiere of Lully's Alceste .

Leland Kimball

Other companies he has been associated with include Opera Company of Philadelphia, Washington Opera, Kentucky Opera, the Summer Opera Theatre Company, and Providence Opera. Having studied and performed at the acclaimed Studio Theater in Washington, D.C., Mr. Kimball has taught acting for singers at the University of the Arts and the University of Delaware.

Currently, Mr. Kimball teaches "Introduction to the Performing Arts" at Wilmington College. During his successful tenure as General Director at Opera Delaware, the company's annual budget has grown from $700,000 to $1.5 million. Mr. Kimball has taught an "Audition Workshop" with Bethesda Summer Music Festival for multiple seasons.