countertenor
noun
coun·ter·ten·or ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌte-nər 
: a tenor with an unusually high range (such as an alto range)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Soloists from the music world include French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, Hungarian soprano Emöke Baráth, Italian soprano Raffaella Milanesi, Slovak soprano Simona Šaturová, and opera singers Juan Sancho, Krystian Adam, and Sophie Harmsen. 
Liza Foreman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 Luke Elmer, a dazzling countertenor from Texas, reinvented Giustino as an aw-shucks adolescent who grows up fast, helped by Amanda Lynn Bottoms as his lover, Leocasta. Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2022 The teachers were trying to treat me as a countertenor. New York Times, 27 May 2022 Though cutely portrayed as toadyish countertenor twins by Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Christopher Lowrey, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern struggle to serve much musical or dramatic purpose. New York Times, 15 May 2022 At the 2022 Grammy Awards in April, both Joni Mitchell and the countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo sported Pleats looks. Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, 7 Apr. 2022 As a countertenor -- the male voice with the highest range (think The Weeknd) -- Orliński's usual musical choices trend older, as in 18th century, 100 years before what some might call the golden age of opera. Alexandra Svokos, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2022 Throughout it all, Shamir’s angelic countertenor has remained a guiding light through albums and songs that embraced vulnerability and truth-telling. Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2022 His countertenor voice and phrasing—both mellifluous and frayed around the edges—convey anguish and hope. Marc Myers, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022 See More
Liza Foreman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 Luke Elmer, a dazzling countertenor from Texas, reinvented Giustino as an aw-shucks adolescent who grows up fast, helped by Amanda Lynn Bottoms as his lover, Leocasta. Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2022 The teachers were trying to treat me as a countertenor. New York Times, 27 May 2022 Though cutely portrayed as toadyish countertenor twins by Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Christopher Lowrey, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern struggle to serve much musical or dramatic purpose. New York Times, 15 May 2022 At the 2022 Grammy Awards in April, both Joni Mitchell and the countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo sported Pleats looks. Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, 7 Apr. 2022 As a countertenor -- the male voice with the highest range (think The Weeknd) -- Orliński's usual musical choices trend older, as in 18th century, 100 years before what some might call the golden age of opera. Alexandra Svokos, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2022 Throughout it all, Shamir’s angelic countertenor has remained a guiding light through albums and songs that embraced vulnerability and truth-telling. Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2022 His countertenor voice and phrasing—both mellifluous and frayed around the edges—convey anguish and hope. Marc Myers, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English countretenour part balancing the tenor, from Middle French contreteneur, from contre- + teneur tenor
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above