ARYEH NUSSBAUM COHEN
For Mr. Nussbaum Cohen's full press kit, contact his management here. Find all other publicity materials including a short biography and repertoire at the link below.
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 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, taking top prize in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Dallas Opera Guild Competition, and winning a George and Nora London Foundation Award. He counts among his career highlights his recent Metropolitan Opera debut as Rosencrantz in the U.S. premiere of 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.
In the 2023-24 season, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen returns to Glyndebourne to perform the title role of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto in Sir David McVicar’s acclaimed production, led by Maestro Laurence Cummings. He sings the role of Sesto in the same opera for his debut at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma under the baton of Rinaldo Alessandrini, and he debuts at Deutsche Oper Berlin in the company premiere of Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin as First Angel/The Boy in Katie Mitchell’s original production. His vibrant concert schedule includes a worldwide tour of Handel’s Rodelinda with The English Concert conducted by Harry Bicket – including debuts at Carnegie Hall, LA Opera, Cal Performances, and in South Korea and China – Carmina Burana with Hans Graf and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, "I Tre Controtenori" at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Bach’s Magnificat with Cantata Collective and Nicholas McGegan, and works by Bach with American Bach Soloists under Jeffrey Thomas and with Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire.
His growing discography includes a solo program of Gluck, Handel, and Vivaldi with Jeffrey Thomas and American Bach Soloists (2019), and the 2023 release of Bach’s St. John Passion with Nicholas McGegan and Cantata Collective, about which Early Music America wrote, “Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen…triumphs in the alto arias, with a voice of arresting beauty, singing with the utmost expressiveness and artistry.” 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 recently made his debut at Glyndebourne, sounding “astonishingly beautiful as Athamas” (The Guardian) in Handel’s Semele. Other recent roles include David (Handel’s Saul), Endimione (Cavalli’s La Calisto), Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Medoro (Handel's Orlando), Ottone (Handel's Agrippina), and Prince Go-Go (Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre). In recent seasons, he has debuted at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, the Adelaide Festival (Australia), Komische Oper Berlin, the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw, Music of the Baroque, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; and has enjoyed collaborations with conductors Nicholas McGegan, Patrick Summers, Masaaki Suzuki, James Gaffigan, Dame Jane Glover, Nicholas Carter, Richard Egarr, David Bates, and Christopher Moulds.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
After earning his bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University, along with academic certificates in vocal performance and Judaic studies, Nussbaum Cohen went on to become the first countertenor in the history of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. He is also a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola and Adler Fellowship Programs and the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. His extensive accolades have also included receiving the William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, a Sara Tucker Study Grant, a Richard Tucker Career Grant, and Top Prize in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition.
In recent years, Aryeh has given masterclasses at the University of Michigan, Buffalo Philharmonic, and his alma mater, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife Abbi, where he serves as Western Region Soloist Representative on the board of the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union that represents America's operatic, dance, and choral artists.
Mr. Nussbaum Cohen is represented by Bill Palant/Étude Arts LLC. For full press kit materials and booking inquiries, please be in touch here. Other publicity materials can be downloaded as PDFs via the links below.
