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The Italian counter-tenor and organ builder, Paolo Costa, studied Piano, Organ and Singing. After his studies, since the beginning of 1980;s he has devoted himself mainly to Renaissance Music and Baroque, carrying out personal research into Vocality and Performing style. In this field he has met and collaborated with esteemed musicians, amongst the greatest interpreters of the Baroque repertoire, like Nigel Rogers, Antony Rooley, René Jacobs, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, Roberto Gini, Rinaldo Alessandrini, thus embarking on an intense concert activity with a repertoire that ranges from the Madrigal to the Cantata and the Oratorio and the Baroque Opera.
As a soloist Paolo Costa has more than once performed Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria, Salve Regina, Stabat Mater, Dixit Dominus and Magnificat; J.S. Bach's Magnificat in D major BWV 243, Mass in B minor BWV 232, Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248, Johannes-Passion BWV 245, and several cantatas of; George Frideric Handel's Dixit Dominus; C. Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine and Orfeo; Alessandro Scarlatti's Narciso.
He has regularly taken part, as a counter-tenor, in numerous concerts in all Europe for the most important musical Institutions and Festivals of Ancient Music with internationally recognised vocal and instrumental groups, amongst which: Hespèrion XX, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations (Director: Jordi Savall); Wiener Akademie (Director: Martin Haselböck); Concert de les Arts (Director: Victor Alonso); Ensemble Vanitas and Coro della Radio Svizzera (Director: Diego Fasolis).
For some time in Italy Paolo Costa has collaborated with early music ensembles as Il Giardino Armonico (Director: Giovanni Antonini), Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca (Director: Andrea Marcon), Concerto Italiano (Director: Rinaldo Alessandrini), Cappella della Pietà de' Turchini (Director: Antonio Florio), Accademia Bizantina (Director: Ottavio Dantone), Athestis Consort and Chorus (Director: Filippo Maria Bressan), Venice Baroque Orchestra and Accademia di S. Rocco (Director: Andrea Marcon), Magnifica Comunità Ensemble (Director: E. Casazza), Delitiæ Musicæ (Director: Marco Longhini), La Stagione Armonica (Director: Sergio Balestracci), Capella Ducale. Venetia (Director: Livio Picotti), Accademia Corale Musica Reservata (Director: Fabio Cusinato), Orchestra Barocca e Coro Gli Invaghiti (Director: Luigi Pagliarini), and Quoniam Ensembles (Director: Bruno Gini), among others.
Paolo Costa has broadcast a number of times for European radio and television stations and has many of his own recordings with the Record Companies Astrée-Auvidis, Harmonia Mundi, Decca, Tactus, Accord, Divox Antiqua, Stradivarius, Opus 111, Chandos. He has brought out records with music by Francesco Cavalli (Tactus); Aureliano Signoretti (Tactus), Adrian Willaert (Stradivarius), Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Missa "Salvum me fac" (Stradivarius); Adriano Banchieri: La Pazzia senile e la Saviezza giovenile (Stradivarius); Benedetto Marcello: Missa pro Defunctis.
Paolo Costa musical journey led him to join Consortium Carissimi at its inception, where he contributed to numerous concerts and recordings. However, alongside his singing career, he nurtured a side hobby in crafting harpsichords. His meticulous attention to detail is evident in every instrument he creates. With the unfortunate decline in concert activity due to the pandemic, Paolo Costa dedicated himself to his passion for instrument building allowing him to explore the construction of harpsichords and portative organs in greater depth. His craftsmanship and expertise have shone through in the photos of the organ he is currently constructing for Consortium Carissimi. The inclusion of an Italian-made portative organ adds a refreshing touch to the traditionally Northern European repertoire, making it an ideal choice for performing Italian sacred and secular music. He is currently based in Vigonza, Italy. |
