Anthony Roth Costanzo, Durham, NC native and a leading countertenor and opera company general director/president, has written a new book, Countertenor. Both the book, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and an accompanying CD will be available on October 27, 2026. You can preorder now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Bookshop, Powell’s City of Books, or Target.
A countertenor? For Wagner fans? No, we’re not crazy! Anthony is very significant in the opera world, and his perspectives enrich opera lovers of all kinds. We are looking forward to hosting him as a special guest of Boston Wagner Society in a live Zoom program with Triangle Wagner Society on Sunday, February 28, 2027. Details soon!
“I look different from the way I sound when I sing. I'm a countertenor—a guy who sings very high. I've spent my entire career using my voice in the falsetto range. But if you think about the fact that the word "falsetto" translated from Italian means "false little voice," you'll understand that there have been times when I've wondered, what is my true big voice?
The sound of a countertenor, often described as ethereal and otherworldly, is both familiar and foreign. It is a high voice close to what might be expected from a female opera singer. Although we recognize the range from contemporary pop music and cartoons, from Michael Jackson to Mickey Mouse, experiencing its penetrating power unamplified in an opera house can be surprising, elemental, and profoundly moving.
In Countertenor, I take you on a journey through my life, my education in art, and the history of this extraordinary voice type. Countertenors have helped define contemporary opera for more than half a century, having inherited a repertoire originally written for castrated men in the baroque period. Part oddity, part divinity, the castrati were surgically altered before puberty. They are key to understanding the development of opera as a form, from its very origins to its expansion in the public sphere. The striking beauty and sheer otherness of the high male voice provide fertile ground for creative invention and innovation, evocatively challenging conventional notions of gender, sexuality, and identity.”
— Anthony Roth Costanzo
"A fascinating, bracingly candid memoir of an extraordinary artist. Sharing personal and often very funny anecdotes, Costanzo examines the resonance of the male falsetto voice in a surprising variety of traditions. The luminaries include divas, designers, the King of Pop, and the reigning prince of Japanese Kabuki; but the real discovery for many will be Anthony himself: a fearless performer, innovator, and impresario who is expanding the reach and meaning of opera."
— Renée Fleming
“I have worked with Anthony Roth Costanzo for many years and have long admired his ability to bring my music vividly to life. Countertenor offers an engaging and insightful portrait of the curiosity, imagination, and creative spirit that make him such a distinctive artist.”
— Philip Glass