countertenor voice
A male voice type that sings in the alto or mezzo-soprano range using a developed head voice or falsetto technique, reviving Baroque-era roles originally sung by castrati.
In Depth
The countertenor is the highest standard male voice classification, singing in a range typically from about G3 to E5 (or higher), overlapping with the female contralto and mezzo-soprano. Modern countertenors use either a highly developed falsetto (the more common technique) or a modal voice that naturally extends into the alto range. The voice type gained renewed prominence in the 20th century through the early music revival, as performers sought historically informed alternatives to casting female singers in roles written for male altos and castrati.
Alfred Deller pioneered the modern countertenor revival in the 1940s, and the voice type has since become standard for Baroque opera. Andreas Scholl, Philippe Jaroussky, and Jakub Józef Orliński have achieved international stardom, with Orliński's combination of vocal virtuosity and breakdancing going viral on social media. Britten wrote the role of Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream for countertenor, establishing the voice in modern opera. The countertenor's ethereal quality — neither quite male nor female — gives it a unique expressive power.
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński went viral not just for his Baroque singing but for his breakdancing skills — videos of him executing windmills backstage at the opera house have millions of views.