Anthony Roth Costanzo's COUNTERTENOR Premieres At National Sawdust Next Week

National Sawdust will present the world premiere of COUNTERTENOR, a multisensory concert exploring the falsetto voice, created and performed by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

A celebration of National Sawdust's 10th anniversary season, the concert honors the institution that provided a platform for Costanzo's earliest forays into producing opera, and where Costanzo was an inaugural artistic advisor. These benchmark performances are part of Costanzo's creative development process and will be recorded and excerpted for a forthcoming album.  

From Mickey Mouse to Michael Jackson, and traditional Hawaiian song to Kabuki, the falsetto sound is familiar to most people, yet it remains intangible and enigmatic. Part installation, part experiment, and part performance, COUNTERTENOR delves into the broad cultural history and Costanzo's own intimate connection to countertenor singing. The repertoire spans centuries and genres to reflect the fluidity of the countertenor voice, with music by John Dowland, The Four Seasons, Philip Glass, Osvaldo Golijov, Claudio Monteverdi, Thomas Morley, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Klaus Nomi, Antonio Vivaldi, and more, arranged by Dan Schlosberg for a 15-piece ensemble. 

Constanzo collaborated with acclaimed smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas to create a groundbreaking experience for everyone involved. For COUNTERTENOR, Tolaas meticulously crafted five distinct, abstract smells—each one intricately connected not only to Constanzo's personal history and artistic identity, but also to the peak emotional moments in his voice as he performs the featured arias. These smells are released at precisely calibrated points during the performance, transforming the concert space into a fully embodied experience.

In COUNTERTENOR, the air itself becomes a medium for storytelling. Activated by smell molecules, memory and emotion are triggered in real time, forging a powerful, intimate connection between the audience and the expressive nuances of the countertenor voice. Each smell serves as an invisible yet deeply felt extension of the music, intensifying the listener's emotional engagement. Tolaas said, “My work is very simple: without breathing, there is no life. Smell is air. Air is life.” 

To identify the optimal moments for releasing each smell, Tolaas collaborated with neuroscientists who analysed how the brain responds to emotional cues in Constanzo's voice across a wide-ranging repertoire. Their research informed a precise sensory choreography, ensuring that each olfactory cue resonates neurologically and emotionally, amplifying the music's impact and enriching the performance's narrative arc.

The ensemble includes Amir Farsi (Flute), Paul Cho (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Basset Horn), Yasmina Spiegelberg (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet), Alex Bender (Trumpet), Nicolee Kuester (Horn), Burt Mason (Trombone), David Cossin (Percussion), Chelsea Lane (Harp), Dan Schlosberg (Keyboards and Direction), Landon Wilson (Keyboards), Dušan Balarin (Theorbo/Lute/Electric Guitar), Keir GoGwilt (Violin), Miranda Cuckson (Violin/Viola), Colin Brookes (Viola), Coleman Itzkoff (Cello), Eleonore Oppenheim (Contrabass/Electric Bass).

The creative team includes Landon Wilson (Curator & Producer), Brandon Stirling Baker (Lighting Designer), Jacob Mallinson Bird (Dramaturg), Ibrahim Kombarji (Design & Installation Support), Emmy Skensved (SMELL RE_searchLab Assistant), T.J. Keanu Tariom (Hawaiian Diction Coach), Yanyi Wang (Neuroart Researcher), Yvonne Lian and Zhonghao Wang (Neuroart Research Assistants).

The world premiere of COUNTERTENOR was created in partnership with Bayer/Kultur and SMELL RE_searchLab Berlin, with additional support from Symrise. The project is generously funded by Barbara Walkowski and Rachel & Daniel Widawsky, with sponsorship from the AMOC* Creative Development Fund.