Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo performs with renowned chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy

Experience a dazzling contrast of George Frideric Handel’s exquisite baroque music and electrifying vocal works from Philip Glass in a concert featuring countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo and chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy at the Moss Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.

Led by music director and conductor Jonathan Cohen, 15-member Les Violons du Roy specializes in the vast repertoire of music for chamber orchestra performed in the stylistic manner most appropriate to each era. Costanzo began performing professionally at the age of 11 and has appeared since in opera, concert, recital, film, and on Broadway.

The first half of the evening’s performance will feature several pieces from Baroque composer Handel, including excerpts from his operas “Tolomeo,” “Flavio,” “Amadigi di Gaula,” and “Rodelinda.” The second half of the program will feature works by American minimalist composer Glass, including excerpts from “Akhnaten,” “Symphony no. 3,” “Songs from Liquid Days,” “Monsters of Grace,” and “1000 Airplanes on the Roof.”

Les Violons du Roy (“The King’s Violins”) takes its name from the celebrated court orchestra of the French kings. It was founded in 1984 to explore the nearly boundless repertoire of music for chamber orchestra in performances matched as closely as possible to the period of each work’s composition. Its minimum 15-member complement plays modern instruments, but with period bows for Baroque and classical music.

Based in Quebec City, the orchestra’s concerts and recordings have been featured on Radio-Canada, CBC, and NPR, and the ensemble has made regular appearances on the festival circuit and performed in esteemed venues throughout the world. They have released 32 recordings, including their most recent, “ARC: Glass/Handel,” a collection of arias by Handel and Glass with countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo.

Costanzo has appeared with many of the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras. This season, Costanzo will produce and star in “Glass/Handel,” an operatic art installation at Opera Philadelphia’s O18 Festival. He will return to the English National Opera in his acclaimed performance of the title role in “Ahknaten” and will also appear in concert with the New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia Baroque at Lincoln Center, and Boston Baroque.

Costanzo played Simon in Brice Cauvin’s film “De particulier a particulier” and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his role as Francis in the Merchant Ivory film “A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries.” He is the first countertenor to host a “Met Opera Live in HD” broadcast, and in 2012 he won first place in Placido Domingo’s international competition, Operalia. In his youth, he performed on Broadway and in Broadway national tours, including “A Christmas Carol,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Falsettos.”

Constanzo will lead a vocal master class with Virginia Tech students majoring in voice during his visit to Blacksburg.

Tickets

Tickets are $25-55 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

While Virginia Tech students can always attend any Moss Arts Center performance for only $10, the center also offers free last-minute rush tickets for students who sign up for text notifications. To receive these notifications, text “arts” to 31996. Availability of rush tickets vary by performance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last in the box office. Virginia Tech ID will be required for admission.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.