executive director

Eapen Leubner

Eapen Leubner's roles range from traditional to cutting-edge modern opera.  As Younger Thompson, Opera News called Eapen "ardent and striking"  (Chelsea Opera; Glory Denied by Tom Cipullo) and "Leubner gave a finely conceived interpretation of Abraham. His lyric tenor voice splendidly captured the tone of Britten's music, which is dramatic but not operatic. And his acting fit the character perfectly" in Chelsea Opera's Canticle II by Benjamin Britten.  The Fairbanks News-Miner praised him for a "pleasing tenor... [that] brought insight and tenderness to the aria "Dalla sua pace" in Mozart's Don Giovanni (Opera Fairbanks).  Musical America called him "a charming Don Gaston"who was "the opera's most engaging character, or so it would appear from Eapen Leubner's deft portrayal, sung with a trim, attractive tenor voice" (Bronx Opera; Die Drei Pintos).

Eapen's recent artistic energies have focused on expanding his modern opera, operetta and art song repertoire.   In 2017, he premiered the role of Maipomue in Chappel Kingsland’s The Firebringers with Boulder Opera Company.  Eapen made his Central City Opera debut as Rodolfo in En mis palabras.  

A frequent collaborator with Encompass New Opera Theatre, Eapen performed the role of Samuel in Rorem's Three Sisters who are not Sisters (Symphony Space), Ab in Charles Fussell's The Astronaut's Tale (workshop and performance at Brooklyn Academy of Music), the world premiere of scenes from Sameer Ramchandran’s Deirdre and in the hilarious role of Raimondo Vecchiofaraone in Richard Pearson Thompson’s A Wake or a Wedding.

Demonstrating breadth beyond opera, Eapen performed a new art song as part of a composer showcase at The Stone, an avant-garde performance space in New York City (composer Andy Laster).   In June 2014, Eapen premiered “The Quangle Wangle Quee”, a song written expressly for him by David Morneau as part of the “Composer’s Voice” concert series.  

Eapen founded the Denver Art Song Project and released their first album, “A Single Step… Songs of Beethoven and Donaudy” in October, 2015.  Since then, the group has transformed into Art Song Colorado, an educational 501c3 that has produced five albums and multiple live performances and online videos.

As a concert soloist, Eapen performed in Tirana, Albania, where he performed on national television in “Tre Tenoret”  as part of  the official celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Albanian Independence.  In February 2013, Eapen made his Carnegie Hall debut in Schubert’s Mass in G.  Eapen's recent concert performances include Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, and Orff's Carmina Burana.

A first-generation American (German father and Indian mother), Eapen began his professional singing career at the age of nine, recording jingles and children's songs. He studied voice at Ithaca College and SUNY Binghamton. He worked his way up from the Seattle Opera Chorus through apprenticeships at Tri-Cities Opera and Opera Colorado to sing leading roles across the country.