Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is “a perfect musician” (Le Monde), at once “vocally brilliant and dramatically fearless” (New York Times). On Jan. 25, Costanzo will launch the 2026 Great Artists Series at Washington University in St. Louis.
The intimate recital will open with George Frideric Handel’s aria “Quella fiamma” from the opera “Armino” (1736), followed by Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gelido in Ogni Vena,” from “Farnace” (1727); Joel Thompson’s “Supplication and Compensation” (2021); and a group of lieder by Franz Liszt.
Following intermission, the program will continue with Hector Berlioz’s “Villanelle,” from “Les nuits d’été” (1841); Henri Duparc’s “L’Invitation Au Voyage” (1870) and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Non T’accostare A L’urna” (1838). Concluding the evening will be three contemporary songs by Philip Glass and three popular standards by Geroge Gershwin.
Accompanying Costanzo will be pianist Bryan Wagorn, assistant conductor at The Metropolitan Opera.
Anthony Roth Costanzo
Performing professionally since age 11, Costanzo has appeared in many of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Opera National de Paris, English National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. Since June 2024, he has served as general director and president of Opera Philadelphia.
This season, Costanzo produces and stars in “The Seasons,” a new work incorporating music of Vivaldi and co-created with and written by renowned playwright and poet Sarah Ruhl. He also created and stars in a one-man rendition of “The Nozze di Figaro,” as part of a new performing arts series from Little Island in New York, and returns to the Detroit Opera for “Rinaldo.”
His most recent album is “Anthony Roth Costanzo & Justin Vivian Bond: Only an Octave Apart” (2022). His debut album, “ARC” (2018), was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. He also starred in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Glass’ “Akhnaten,” which won the 2022 Grammy for best opera recording.
Bryan Wagorn
Wagorn regularly performs with the Met Chamber Ensemble in concerts at Carnegie Hall. He performed as pianist in the Met’s Grammy-winning productions of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in my Bones” and “Champion.” He recently performed the role of pianist Boleslao Lazinski onstage at the Metropolitan Opera in their 2023 production of “Giordano’s Fedora.”
Great Artists Series
Sponsored by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, the Great Artists Series hosts intimate recitals with some of the brightest stars on the contemporary concert stage. Following Costanzo, the series will continue Feb. 1 with kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko and classical guitarist Derek Gripper, followed March 1 by pianist Conrad Tao.
On March 29, the series will welcome three-time Grammy winner Isabel Leonard. Detroit’s Grammy-winning Catalyst String Quartet will perform April 12. Concluding the series April 30 will be British cellist Steven Isserlis, joined by Canadian pianist Connie Shih.
Tickets and related events
Costanzo’s performance will begin at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. Tickets are $40, or $37 for seniors and WashU faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. Tickets are available through the WashU Box Office, 314-935-6543. For more information, visit music.wustl.edu.
In addition, at 10 a.m. Jan. 26, the music department will host an informal “Coffee and Conversation” with Costanzo and Todd Decker, the Paul Tietjens Professor of Music, in WashU’s Pillsbury Theatre. The talk is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. View more information on the music department webpage.
The E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall and the Pillsbury Theatre are located in the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. The Great Artists Series is made possible with support from the Regional Arts Commission and from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
