Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen brings his “ravishing…otherworldly” (Opera News) 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 content performing new works, Nussbaum Cohen’s first commercial recording project – the world premiere of Kenneth Fuchs’ Poems of Life with the London Symphony Orchestra – was honored with a GRAMMY® Award; 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, taking top prize in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum and the Dallas Opera Guild Competitions, and winning a George and Nora London Foundation Award. He counts among his career highlights his Metropolitan Opera debut as Rosencrantz in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, and he looks forward to the upcoming world premiere of Mikael Karlsson’s Fanny and Alexander at La Monnaie de Munt.
This season, Nussbaum Cohen returns to Glyndebourne for the title role in Sir David McVicar’s production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto, and debuts at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Sesto, Giulio Cesare in Egitto) and Deutsche Oper Berlin (First Angel/The Boy, Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin). He debuts at Carnegie Hall, L.A. Opera, and in South Korea and China on a worldwide tour of Handel’s Rodelinda with The English Concert and Harry Bicket; and appears with the Indianapolis Symphony, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Cantata Collective, American Bach Soloists and Apollo’s Fire.
His growing discography includes a solo program with American Bach Soloists (2019), and the 2023 release of Bach’s St. John Passion with the Cantata Collective. Lending his countertenor voice to the Romantic repertoire, Nussbaum Cohen performs the music of Clara and Robert Schumann, Korngold, and Brahms on an album set for release in 2024 on AVIE Records.
Nussbaum Cohen has enjoyed recent performances at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Adelaide Festival, Komische Oper Berlin, the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
The Grand Prize winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition has also been a recipient of a William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, Sara Tucker Study Grant, and a Richard Tucker Career Grant. After earning his bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton, Nussbaum Cohen graduated from San Francisco Opera’s Merola and Adler Fellowship Programs, the Houston Grand Opera Studio, and the Wolf Trap Opera Studio.
2023/24 Season
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
