Rare countertenor talent to perform at USC School of Music

What do Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Adam Levine, Frankie Valli, Robin Gibb and Smokey Robinson have in common?

Besides being famous pop stars, each is, or was, able to sing in a gorgeous falsetto voice.

And just what is a falsetto? Definitions vary, but it’s generally recognized as a vocal technique that allows the singer to break out of his normal range and into a secondary, much higher range that’s normally only achieved by women. The loss of power and control that comes with singing falsetto is, these days, generally mitigated by powerful microphones and artful mixing.

But what if a man could sing in a range similar to a woman’s alto, without limit? He would then be called a countertenor, and hearing him would be a rare gift. That’s because countertenors don’t need to perform the vocal gymnastics that other artists do to reach those notes. Instead, their agile voices allow them to reach those notes with full control of their instrument.

Friday, countertenor and University of South Carolina associate professor of music theory J. Daniel Jenkins will perform two works that showcase this unique talent, a solo aria, Furibondo spiro il vento, from Handel’s Partenope and in a duet with mezzo soprano Brittnee Siemon, Pur ti miro, from Mondeverdi’s L’incoronazione de Poppea.

The performances are part of Columbia Baroque’s “The River Thames,” a concert that also will feature works by Vivaldi, Purcell and other baroque superstars that were composed or performed in London.

The concert will be held in the Recital Hall at the USC School of Music. Concert Conversations begins at 7 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Details: columbiabaroque.com.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Rare countertenor talent to perform at USC School of Music."