Nicholas Tamagna is an internationally acclaimed American countertenor celebrated for his compelling theatricality and vocal agility, especially in the Baroque repertoire. His interpretations of Händel, Gluck, and Monteverdi have brought baroque roles vividly to life at major houses and festivals including the Theater an der Wien, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen, Halle, and Karlsruhe, as well as Bayreuth Baroque. He has also worked on productions at the Wiener Staatsoper and Salzburg Festival, deepening his engagement with some of Europe’s most prestigious opera institutions.
Tamagna has portrayed many of the repertoire’s most iconic roles, including Rinaldo, Goffredo (Rinaldo), Tolomeo, Giulio Cesare, Nireno (Giulio Cesare), Polinesso (Ariodante), Ruggiero (Alcina), Athamas (Semele), Dardano (Amadigi), Arsace (Partenope), and Narciso, Ottone (Agrippina). He has performed with ensembles such as Les Talens Lyriques, Lautten Compagney Berlin, {oh!} Orkiestra Historyczna, and Armonia Atenea. Notable appearances include Tolomeo at the Göttingen Händel Festival and the Warsaw Chamber Opera; Narciso in Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera—his official house debut just before the pandemic—and Armindo in Partenope at San Francisco Opera.
Recent and upcoming highlights include the title role of Cesare in Giulio Cesare in Egitto at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari (September 2025); Timagene in Leonardo Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie at the Theater an der Wien, curated by Max Emanuel Cencic; and La Befana in Florian Leopold Gassmann’s L’opera seria, also at the Theater an der Wien, in a new production by Laurent Pelly under the baton of Christophe Rousset. He will also sing the title role in Rinaldo at the Händel-Festspiele Halle in 2026.
Tamagna is also widely recognized for his poignant portrayal of the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, a role he has performed to great acclaim in both the United States and Germany. He continues his collaboration with Dove’s work in the German premiere and 2025 revival of The Itch at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe—a production praised for its wit, intimacy, and resonance with younger audiences—with a Wiederaufnahme scheduled for 2026.
His discography includes the award-winning recording of Leonardo Vinci’s Gismondo, Re di Polonia (Parnassus Arts Productions), Sultans of Opera with Pera Ensemble, blending traditional Eastern instruments with Baroque vocalism, and Donne all’Opera with ENEA Barock Orchestra, exploring feminine power in Baroque opera. As a champion of new music, Tamagna has inspired and premiered several contemporary works composed specifically for his voice, expanding the modern countertenor repertoire through cross-cultural and stylistic collaborations.
Based in northern Germany, he serves as Artistic Director of Forum Neue Kunst, where he leads interdisciplinary music-theatre initiatives. Through this role, he creates innovative productions and is actively developing future festival formats in the Oldenburg region, fostering dialogue between historical performance and contemporary creation.
A native New Yorker and dual U.S.–Italian citizen, Tamagna holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Music. He is also a stage director, voice teacher, and committed advocate for transdisciplinary performance. He is praised for his expressive depth, stylistic versatility, and artistic vision across the stage and creative spheres alike.
(25/26_Please use this CV only.)
