Reviews

“Usually when singers debut in a role, they sing tentatively, reserving their energy and vocal power so they know they can get through the evening with their voices intact. But Costello and Perez showed no signs of tiring or holding back in their roles. Costello’s got a lovely, ringing tenor with a pleasing top, clarity, evenness of tone and warm romantic sound, particularly in Faust’s famous love aria “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” and he throws himself physically into the role —- with a surprisingly rousing sword fight in the third act and a finale that involves a brave tumble down a steep staircase.”

- Pam Kraken, North County Times, 27 April 2011

“His polished tenor boasts all the traits we hope for: command, brightness at the top, a pleasing, well-modulated color throughout.”

- Kenneth Herman, www.SanDiego.com, 24 April 2011

“The scenes with Costello and Hasmik Papian are some of the strongest in the opera…During intermission most of the conversation revolved around the Costello’s dramatic flair, voice and acting.

…opera goers raved about tenor Stephen Costello and Elena Belfiore. At the end of the opera a loud applause audibly increased when Costello walked out on stage and bowed. Many people gave him a standing ovation”

- www.examiner.com, November 2010

“The other primary and secondary roles—each of which, in Anna Bolena, is gigantic—were brilliantly fulfilled by tenor Stephen Costello as Percy…”

- www.dmagazine.com, October 2010

“In particular, we salute the performance of Stephen Costello as Greenhorn (who represents Ishmael, the narrator of Melville’s novel), a tenor of ineffable sensitivity, with unfailing elegance in singing and a disconcerting ease in producing notes in head-voice.”

- Opera Magazine, Opera News review, July – August 2010

“and tenor Stephen Costello as Ishmael (known through most of the opera as “Greenhorn”), turned in performances worthy of a major premiere”

- www.dmagazine.com, May 2010

“Stephen Costello sings beautifully as Greenhorn (Ishmael in the novel).”

- 
Financial Times, May 2010

“Stephen Costello’s clear, lighter-weight tenor seems to be developing beautifully”

- 
The Washington Post

, May 2010

“Tenor Stephen Costello was an ardent, sweet-voiced Greenhorn”

- San Francisco Chronicle, May 2010

“Stephen Costello, the excellent young lyric tenor singing Greenhorn, got several fine showpieces, particularly his Act II musing on Ahab, “Human madness is a cunning and most feline thing.”

- Wall Street Journal

, May 2010

“Stephen Costello, a bright young tenor and the 2009 Richard Tucker Award winner, was well suited to the role of the naïve, effusive Greenhorn.”

- The New York Times

, May 2010

“A cast of vocally robust young singers, lithe and animated direction, and lush orchestral support make this Romeo and Juliet a rewarding, even exciting night at the opera.
In Ailyn Pérez’s Juliet and Stephen Costello’s Romeo we easily see the Bard’s impetuous, enraptured young lovers, but more importantly we hear a fullness and warmth in their voices that make Gounod’s opulent lines soar…
To describe the tall, broad-shouldered Costello as dashing is like calling Bill Gates well-off. And when Costello holds his gorgeous high notes just a few beats longer without the slightest sense of strain—now that is why folks come to the opera! His eager, athletic singing in the balcony scene—not to mention his erotic edge in the nuptial duet rolling about Juliet’s curtained four-poster—combined with his idiomatic command of the French operatic style make me doubt there is another tenor singing today better suited to this role.”

- San Diego Arts, www.sandiego.com, March 2010

Interview with Ailyn and Stephen about a married couple performing Romeo and Juliette. “An added attraction was having the title roles sung by a married couple: Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello. In their company debuts, during which they portrayed Romeo and Juliet together for the first time, they sang attractively, acted persuasively and made the kissing look refreshingly real, particularly on their wedding night…She found her match in the handsome Costello who was, to my ears, even more impressive. Whether climbing Juliet’s balcony, or prolonging high notes with ‘listen-to-what-I-can-do’ brio, the leggiero tenor was a compelling Romeo. His ardour was unmistakable, his tone-production unbreakable. Though his singing could have been more nuanced, Costello made the phrasing in ‘Ah! Leve-toi soleil’ as sensual as a caress. And he blended quite beautifully with Perez in their duets, which received plush musical cushioning from Keltner and the San Diego Symphony.”

- Opera Magazine, August 2010

“[Perez] is lovely to look at, a fine actress, and looks to be the absolute star of the show until her real-life husband, American tenor Stephen Costello, steps onstage as Romeo. From that point on, when he is onstage, it is difficult to look at anyone else. Costello as Romeo is electrifying. He is tall, handsome, and young, believably portraying a teenager who could fall hopelessly in love after one brief meeting and willingly die for that love.
Costello’s voice is passionate and powerful, but with a quality of impetuosity and innocence that precisely suits the role. His second-act aria below Juliet’s window — “Ah! Lève-toi soleil” — showcases his gorgeous vocal quality — but then, so does every note he sings. In the course of the opera, Romeo and Juliet have four love duets, each more lovely than the last, and four are not too many.
”

- San Diego News Network, March 2010