Telly Leung

Raised in Brooklyn in a traditional Chinese-American household, Telly Leung followed a typical path familiar to many young people with a similar love for the stage. He studied drama at Stuyvesant High School, starring in Pippin, Guys & Dolls, and West Side Story, before attending Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. After being cast as "Bobby" in a school production of Sondheim's Company, he joined the revival of the seminal Flower Drum Song, which also starred Lea Salonga. Other major roles followed, including Pacific Overtures, Wicked, Godspell, and the final run of Rent. In perhaps his most visible mainstream pop culture role, he acted and sang as the character Wes (a Dalton Academy Warbler) on the second season of Glee (2010-2011). Riding the Glee wave, he released his first solo album, a set of covers of his favorite songs. I'll Cover You (2012, Yellow Sound Lab) included his takes on pop divas (such as a Latin-fied version of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" and a smoothed-out rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework"), classics (Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Nat King Cole), and the stage (Rent, Sondheim). In 2015, he joined the cast of Allegiance, alongside Lea Salonga once again, and Star Trek's George Takei. His second solo album -- Songs for You -- was released in late 2015. ~ Neil Z. Yeung