Richard Leech (born March 26, 1957) is an American operatic tenor, recipient of the Richard Tucker Award in 1988, and particularly associated with lyric roles of the Italian and French repertories.
Raised and educated in Binghamton, New York, he attended Eastman School of Music but dropped out after a semester.
He began his career in the early 1980s, appearing with the Tri-Cities Opera.
Leech made his debut at the New York City Opera in 1984 as Rodolfo in La bohème.
He soon added the roles of the Duke in Rigoletto and Alfredo in La Traviata.
On March 25, 1987, Leech began a two-decade affiliation with Cincinnati Opera with his debut as Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann.
Possessing a beautiful clear voice with a thrilling upper register, was compared to Jussi Björling and Luciano Pavarotti by critics.
In 2015, he began a new affiliation with Michigan Opera Theatre as Director of Resident Artist Programs.