Countertenor - Hardcover

Costanzo, Anthony Roth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374614660 ISBN 13: 9780374614669

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc, 2026

Synopsis

A lively and revelatory blend of memoir and opera history by the Grammy Award–winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, "one of opera's biggest stars" (The New York Times). The sound of a countertenor, often described as ethereal and otherworldly, is both familiar and foreign―it is a high voice type, somewhere between what we might expect of a male and a female opera singer. Though we recognize the countertenor range from countless pop stars, experiencing it within the context of opera, powerful and penetrating, and, most important, without any amplification, is unsettling, beautiful, and profoundly moving. Countertenors today sing music written originally for castrati. Part oddity, part divinity, castrati are inextricably linked to the proliferation of opera from its inception in the seventeenth century through its expansion into the public sphere. The striking beauty of the male voice and the otherness of the sound make it fertile ground for creative invention and innovation, and evoke fascinating aspects of gender, sexuality, and identity. In Countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo, one of the world’s leading opera singers―known in particular for his performance as Akhnaten in Philip Glass’s opera of the same name―takes us through both his life and the history of his rare and remarkable voice. With wit and humor, Costanzo explores fascinating contradictions contained within the countertenor and narrates his own musical education and interests. The result is a lively and stirring account of an art form in flux, a story of reinvention and a life lived in harmony with art.

About this title

About the Author

The Grammy Award-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo began performing professionally at the age of eleven and has since appeared in operas, concerts, recitals, and films and on Broadway. He has performed at many of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera and the Opéra national de Paris, and at a wide variety of venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Versailles, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In June 2024 he began his tenure as general director and president of Opera Philadelphia and is also the artistic director of SongStudio at Carnegie Hall. He earned his master's degree and an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and his bachelor's degree from Princeton University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374614660
• ISBN 13: 9780374614669
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320