American countertenor Christopher Lowrey, described as “one of the operatic countertenors of our day, excelling dramatically and vocally, with clear, ringing and flexible tone,” (Bachtrack) is in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Praised for his “expressively compelling interpretation… clear articulation and powerful stage presence” (OperaWire), he combines American warmth with a distinctly British polish.
In the 2025–26 season he sings David in Handel’s Saul with Handel & Haydn Society in Boston and in the beloved Barrie Kosky staged production of the same work for Opera Cologne, appears in the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo at the Halle Handel Festival, joins La Nuova Musica for Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at Wigmore Hall and in Fribourg, and tours Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Netherlands Bach Society under Masaaki Suzuki.
Recent highlights include Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opéra de Lausanne, Roberto in Vivaldi’s Griselda for the Royal Danish Opera, Guildenstern in Brett Dean’s Hamlet at the Metropolitan Opera and Opera Australia, and Monteverdi’s Poppea on a North American tour with Cappella Mediterranea. On the concert platform he has appeared at Carnegie Hall in Mein Traum with Raphaël Pichon and Ensemble Altera, at Leipzig’s Thomaskirche for Bachfest Leipzig, with Arsenale Sonoro in a recital of Vivaldi sacred music, and in solo recital at the Kretinga Early Music Festival in Lithuania.
He has performed with many of the world’s leading houses and orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival, BBC Proms, Teatro Real, La Fenice, Boston Early Music Festival, Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Pinchgut Opera, English National Opera, and the Gulbenkian Orchestra. His collaborators include William Christie, Vladimir Jurowski, Christophe Rousset, Laurence Cummings, Ivor Bolton, Richard Egarr, Harry Bicket, Raphaël Pichon, and Masaaki Suzuki.
Lowrey’s growing discography spans Handel, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, and Bernstein, with releases on Accent, Alpha, ABC Classics, Ricercar, Linn, Hyperion, and EMI. Critics have hailed his singing as “spirited, gleaming… impeccable diction… and a powerful stage presence” (Limelight Magazine).
Alongside his solo career, he is founder and artistic director of Ensemble Altera, a Rhode Island–based chamber choir described by the BBC as “something extraordinary” and by Scherzo Magazine as “a leading ensemble on the American choral scene.” Their debut album The Lamb’s Journey won the German Record Critics’ Award, praised as “one of the most spectacular recent recording debuts,” and their follow-up Dazzling Light was acclaimed for its “luminous clarity” (BBC Music Magazine) and “top-notch choral singing” (AllMusic).
A native of Rhode Island, Lowrey studied at Brown University, the University of Cambridge (Trinity College Choir under Stephen Layton), and the Royal College of Music International Opera School. He is a winner of the Helpmann Award, the Sullivan Foundation Award, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Michael Oliver Prize at the London Handel Singing Competition, and the Keasbey Award.
(2025/26_Please use this CV exclusively.)
