Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo to lead Opera Philadelphia

Anthony Roth Costanzo was hired Thursday as general director and president of Opera Philadelphia and will continue his career as a leading countertenor while taking over an ambitious company dealing with post-pandemic economic challenges.

“Even though I’m an opera singer, it’s my job to ensure the health of this art form I love,” he said in an interview this week. “And the other side of the coin is that I’m frustrated by opera and its inability to always innovate in the ways I think can help it grow.”

Constanzo, who turns 42 on May 8, will start work on June 1 and replace David Devan, who is retiring after 13 seasons in charge. Music director Corrado Rovaris has a contract through 2026-27.

Opera Philadelphia for 2024-25 dropped its well-regarded seasonopening festival, which began in 2017, and lowered next season’s budget to $10 million — of which $1,275,000 is projected to come from ticket revenue. There will be just three mainstage productions, starting with the U.S. premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s “The Listeners” on Sept. 25.

“They kept this season lean, which gives me some room to move around if I’m successful in bringing more resources,” Constanzo said. “I really feel like some of the future vision that we can build on at Opera Philadelphia is the idea of strategic partnerships and collaborations that help us pool resources and expand our wings beyond the world of opera.”

Costanzo appeared this year in a new production of Thomas Adès’ “The Exterminating Angel” at the Paris Opéra, headlines Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Eurydice” at the Metropolitan Opera starting May 16 and is in the world premiere of Gregory Spears’ “The Righteous” at the Santa Fe Opera starting July 13.