Opera Innovators Series: Anthony Roth Costanzo
A Grammy-winning countertenor and creative producer who “exists to transform opera” (New York Times), Anthony Roth Costanzo is general director and president of Opera Philadelphia, overseeing fundraising and business strategies, audience development, community initiatives, and artistic planning.
Costanzo began performing professionally at age 11 and has since appeared in opera, concert, recital, film, and on Broadway. He was recently awarded a Grammy, an honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music, a visiting fellowship from Oxford University, and the History Makers Award from the New York Historical Society—and was a distinguished visiting scholar at Harvard University.
This past season, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice; to the Santa Fe Opera for a world premiere; and to the Teatro Real. He debuts with Paris Opera, gives recitals at the Kennedy Center and Boston’s Jordan Hall, debuts at London’s Wigmore Hall, and appears at Carnegie Hall. As a producer, he has created projects for Opera Philadelphia, New York Philharmonic, BBC Proms, WQXR, St. Ann’s Warehouse, and more.
His debut album, ARC, was nominated for a Grammy; and his live show and second album, Only an Octave Apart with Justin Vivian Bond, received numerous Best of 2021 accolades. Costanzo was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in a Merchant Ivory film. He graduated with honors from Princeton University, where he has returned to teach, and Manhattan School of Music, where he is on the board of trustees. He also serves on the board of National Black Theatre.
Anthony Roth Costanzo is presented as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Opera Innovators Series in partnership with the Boston Lyric Opera.