British mezzo-soprano Polly Leech has been praised for her "magnetic poise and the kind of vocal splendour that emerges only rarely among British mezzo-sopranos" Opera Magazine. A regular guest at major opera houses across Europe, she is known for her versatility across repertoire from baroque to contemporary works.

Her recent roles include Waltraute Die Walküre and Lydia Ekdahl in the world premiere of Fanny & Alexander at La Monnaie, La Suora Zelatrice and La Ciesca Il Trittico, The Sorceress Dido & Aeneas, and Nurse Boris Godunov at Dutch National Opera, where she is a regular guest. Polly sang the role of Matilde Lotario for Opéra Impératrice in Payerne, Switzerland, before making her debut in Italy as Mrs Grose The Turn of the Screw at the Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova. She has also appeared as Tisbe La Cenerentola for both Dutch National Opera and the Opéra de Montpellier, Hippolyta A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Montpellier, and Zweite Dame Die Zauberflöte with the Nederlandse Reisopera. 

The 2025–26 season opens with Polly’s Royal Opera House debut in the title role of Handel’s Giustino La Nuova Musica/David Bates, followed by a return to the Nederlandse Reisopera as Fox/Vosje in The Cunning Little Vixen. She then returns to Switzerland to sing Gismonda Ottone and makes her Opéra de Lausanne debut as Mrs Grose in The Turn of the Screw.

Her portrayal of Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos for Garsington Opera drew wide acclaim: “Leech’s Composer is bright-voiced, passionate and superbly acted” (The Guardian). During the previous Garsington Opera season, she sang the role of Dorabella Così fan tutte, a performance for which she earned the prestigious Leonard Ingrams Award.

Polly has collaborated with a wide range of distinguished directors and conductors, including Kirill Serebrennikov, Ivo van Hove, Davide Livermore, Barrie Kosky, Romeo Castellucci, Katie Mitchell, Laurent Pelly, Bruno Ravella, John Cox, Barbora Horáková, Floris Visser, Ted Huffman, and Joe Hill-Gibbins. She has performed under the baton of conductors such as David Bates, Vasily Petrenko, Lorenzo Viotti, Daniele Rustioni, Riccardo Minasi, Ariane Matiakh, Camille Delaforge, Mark Wigglesworth, Alain Altinoglu, Tobias Ringborg, Ryan Bancroft, Jordan de Souza, Antony Hermus, Andrea Marcon, Gianluca Capuano, Mark Albrecht, and Christopher Curnyn.

On the concert platform, Polly has performed Verdi’s Requiem with both the Gabrieli Consort and the Krakow Philharmonic conducted by Paul McCreesh, Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the Concertgebouworkest at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Her other concert credits include Elgar’s Sea Pictures (BBC NOW), Loevendie’s Six Turkish Folk Songs (Concertgebouworkest, live recording available), and a series of Rossini Gala concerts with the Nederlands Kamerorkest.

A former scientist, Polly studied molecular biology and biochemistry at Durham University before training at the Royal College of Music, the National Opera Studio, and the Dutch National Opera Studio. Now based in Amsterdam, she has sung a wide range of roles at Dutch National Opera, including Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro, Abra Juditha Triumphans, Mercédès Carmen, Fidalma Il matrimonio segreto, Pastuchyna Jenůfa, and Romaine Brooks in the world premiere of Willem Jeths’ Ritratto.

Other past performances include Annio La clemenza di Tito and Mallika Lakmé with Chelsea Opera Group, as well as Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel and Irene Theodora in the UK.

Polly is represented by Damian Thantrey and Guy Flechter at Mark Kendall Artists Management.