Source: aryehnussbaumcohen.com
Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen brings his “astonishingly beautiful,” „golden toned“ (The Guardian) instrument to a broad range of repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary. Acclaimed as both a “young star” and “complete artist” by the New York Times and as „extravagantly gifted… poised to redefine what’s possible for singers of this distinctive voice type” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Nussbaum Cohen’s passion for creating performances of great vocal beauty and dramatic intensity have earned him a reputation as “a redefining force in the countertenor field” (Limelight).
Mr. Nussbaum Cohen finds a close affinity between the ancient musical traditions of his Jewish heritage and the Baroque works composing much of his operatic repertoire. Equally invigorated performing new works, Nussbaum Cohen’s first commercial recording project – the world premiere of Kenneth Fuchs‘ Poems of Life performd with the London Symphony Orchestra under JoAnn Falletta – was honored with a GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Compendium in 2019; and his interpretation of the Refugee’s aria from Jonathan Dove’s Flight provided the centerpiece for his extensive catalogue of competition successes, including winning the Grand Prize at the 2017 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, top prizes in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Dallas Opera Guild Competition, a George and Nora London Foundation Award, the Richard Tucker Study Grant and Career Grant, and in 2024, top prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s International Vocal Competition.
In the 2024-25 season, Nussbaum Cohen performs the role of Ismael alongside Thomas Hampson and Anne Sofie von Otter in the world premiere of Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek’s adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander at La Monnaie de Munt in Brussels, directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Ariane Matiakh. He also returns to Deutsche Oper Berlin to reprise the role of Angel / The Boy in Katie Mitchell’s heralded production of Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin led by Marc Albrecht. Nussbaum Cohen makes his debut this season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra singing a program of Handel and Mozart led by Nicholas Kraemer, and he gives his French debut performing Vivaldi arias and cantatas at the Festival de Froville with I Gemelli under Emiliano Gonzalez Toro. His concert schedule also includes “Baroque and Beyond” with Deutsche Oper Berlin led by conductor David Bates, a program of Handel and Hasse with Ars Lyrica Houston and Matthew Dirst, Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York under Kent Tritle, and concerts with his JIVE (Jewish Innovative Voices & Experiences) series in the Bay Area, California.
