Blech Leo (21/04/1871, Aachen – 24/08/1958, Berlin) – conductor and composer.

Leo Blech studied piano in Berlin under Ernst Rudorff and composition under Woldemar Bargiel, later refining his skills in composition with Engelbert Humperdinck. From 1893 to 1899, he served as Kapellmeister at the City Theatre in Aachen. In 1899, he became a conductor at the German Theatre in Prague. Between 1906 and 1923, he conducted at the Berlin Royal Opera, becoming General Music Director in 1913. In 1918, the opera was renamed the German State Opera. From 1923 to 1924, he worked as a conductor at other opera houses in Berlin.

In 1925, Leo Blech was engaged at the Vienna Volksoper and returned to the German State Opera in Berlin in 1926. In the mid-1930s, he emigrated from Germany to Latvia. In 1937, he was invited to become the Principal Conductor of the Latvian National Opera, where he worked from 1937 to 1941. His conducting repertoire included the operas Aida, The Tales of Hoffmann, Carmen, Manon Lescaut, Un ballo in maschera, Il trovatore, The Magic Flute, The Gypsy Baron, and various symphonic concerts.

In 1941, he moved to Stockholm and worked as a conductor at the Royal Swedish Opera from 1941 to 1948. In 1949, he relocated to West Berlin, where he conducted at the City Opera until 1953. He was the author of four operas (including Cinderella, 1905), an operetta, as well as symphonic and chamber works, songs, and more.

Lit.: SKV, 18–19; Kaktiņš A. Dzīves opera. R., 1992. pp. 210, 244–245; Zālīts J. Raksti.