Anthony Roth Costanzo is the kind of countertenor whose current season includes Philip Glass’s Akhnaten at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and a new Satyagraha production at the Opéra national de Paris — an artist for whom international opera houses are a routine itinerary, not a career peak. He brings that voice to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s 2026 Gala on Sunday, August 2, accompanied by pianist Bryan Wagorn, in an evening considerably more intimate than the houses that fill his calendar.
About the Show
The gala honors outgoing Mahaiwe Board Chair Margaret Deutsch, who served as Senior Managing Principal and Chief Financial Officer of Boston architectural firm CBT. Costanzo’s career arc is unusual even by countertenor standards: he began performing professionally at age 11, holds degrees from Princeton University and Manhattan School of Music, and won First Prize at Operalia in 2010. He was named Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year in 2019, received the Beverly Sills Award from the Metropolitan Opera in 2020, and in 2022 won the Grammy for Best Opera Recording for his performance of the title role in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten at the Met. He has also created roles in world premieres by John Corigliano, Gregory Spears, Jimmy Lopez, and Jake Heggie; next season he takes on the title role in the Met’s world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo, alongside soprano Christine Goerke and tenor Joshua Blue.
Gala committee co-chair Jamie DuMont describes Costanzo as “a rare voice and a powerful performer whose charisma and talent have taken him to stages from the Met Opera House to Broadway to intimate cabaret rooms.” Off the stage, he serves as General Director and President of Opera Philadelphia and Artistic Director of SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, and maintains connections to the Berkshires through the American Modern Opera Company and collaborations with Tanglewood and Berkshire Opera Festival performers.
Venue & Logistics
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington sits within reach of the capital region and holds 681 seats — for a countertenor performing in recital, a scale at which the voice’s upper register and dynamic range can carry without reinforcement. A reception and dinner begin at 5 p.m., catered by Peter Platt of Old Inn on the Green with beverages from Domaney’s Liquors and Fine Wines; the performance follows at 8 p.m.
Tickets
Performance-only tickets are $75–$100 (plus processing fees). Gala dinner packages are available separately; for information, contact Director of Advancement Diane Wortis at diane@mahaiwe.org or 413-644-9040 x123. Buy tickets