Male soprano hits the high note – in showbiz and at Princeton

"Why is that man singing like a woman?" people often ask upon hearing the voice of Anthony Costanzo '04 for the first time. For those who have not heard it, it is indeed a unique sound.

Costanzo is a male soprano. In other words, he can hit incredibly high notes and it is most surprising when one first sees that this sound is emanating from a man's mouth.

Costanzo doesn't think it is anything out of the ordinary, though, and says, "All men – yes, all men – have the potential to be male sopranos. All men have a falsetto voice. It is just a matter of how developed this voice is. So while it is strange to hear this sound coming from a man, there is something innate and natural about it."

Music has indeed always come naturally to Costanzo. When learning to play piano at age six, his teacher suggested that it might help him learn to read music if he sang the note before he played it. Once he started singing, he realized he had found his true passion.

Costanzo went for his first audition for a musical when he was eight. "From that point on, things just sort of snowballed," he says. He had an agent by age eleven and, that same year, he got a leading role in the touring production of the Broadway musical "Falsettos." He later went on to tour with Marie Osmond (of Osmond Family fame) in "The Sound of Music." His love for music rapidly developed into an interest in opera and Costanzo has performed in prestigious venues like Lincoln Center and with opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti.

When he wasn't traipsing all over the nation with touring productions or performing with a variety of renowned opera companies, Costanzo spent his middle school and high school years shuttling back and forth from his hometown in North Carolina to New York City, where he did two separate stints at the Professional Children's School.

It is surprising that someone with such an impressive performance background didn't end up at a music conservatory somewhere. Yet Costanzo is very happy with his decision to come to Princeton. "I feel that as a singer and actor, I will benefit greatly from having a broad education that Princeton can offer," he says. "Being a well-rounded person is important to me."

That well-roundedness transcends to his career. Costanzo hasn't limited himself to just the world of music. He made the leap from the theater's stage to the silver screen with a nationally-acclaimed role in the Merchant Ivory film "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries." (This is how he met actress LeeLee Sobieski, whom Costanzo warmly refers to as "my best friend in the whole world"). He says, "This experience brought its own new challenges, and I loved it." This past December, he was in Los Angeles filming some preliminary footage for a project with Billy Zane.

Costanzo's burgeoning film career has been recognized by critics. Entertainment Weekly praised him for his "rude theatrical zest." Siskel and Ebert noted his "dynamic supporting role — he steals a lot of scenes." The L.A. Times said his role was "beautifully played."

The reviews on campus are just as good. Here at Princeton, the residents of Holder Hall report that they are often treated to the muffled sounds of his vocal rehearsals.