À la fin, parmi les seize autres solistes de cette smala élargie, c’est toutefois son très sombre ange gardien Ismaël Jacobi, aux pouvoirs mystiques, qui lui vole quasi la vedette: dans un dialogue de l’acte deux qui s’achève dans les flammes, le contre-ténor américain Aryeh Nusbaum Cohen propulse loin au fond des âmes sa voix sauvage, à la fois forte et douce, consolante et effrayante, qui clôt de manière parfaite le délicat passage d’Alexandre à l’âge adulte.
L’Echo, Valérie Colin

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, de contratenor die de rol van Ismaël speelt, was bij de première de absolute publiekslieveling. “Net als bij Bergman is dat een androgyn personage”, legt Broeckaert uit. “Hij zingt haarjuist met een gedoseerd vibrato. Grote stem, indrukwekkend figuur”.
VRT.be, Ellen Maerevoet

Ismaël est chanté par Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen dont tant la voix que le physique échappent aux critères de genre. Il nouera avec Alexandre une relation aussi forte qu’ambigüe.
Forum Opéra, Claude Jottrand

They came, they sang, they conquered. Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen as Giulio Cesare and Louise Alder as Cleopatra used their 230 minutes on the Glyndebourne stage at the opening performance of Handel’s Giulio Cesare to vault from the status of commented upon up-and-comers to stardom.  They really were that good…His stage presence is enhanced. His delivery more emphatic. On sustained, high notes there is never any sense of strain, only intensifying power. No mean feat for a counter tenor. I am sure his dramatic facility has improved significantly since he encountered McVicar…Nussbaum Cohen’s website claims “rising star”. Wrong. Risen. Now a fixture in opera’s firmament.
Reaction, Gerald Malone

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen made a physically imposing Giulio Cesare, looking very much the conqueror… with a voice to match. There was never a hint that the role lies rather low, he produced a lovely even sound from top to bottom. His bravura moments were vividly done with some admirably vibrant passagework, yet in the serious moments such as ‘Alma del gran Pompeo’, Nussbaum Cohen was equally intense in the seriousness. The result was a richly layered portrait of a complex hero. His hunting aria, ‘Va tacito e nascosto’ with its terrific horns was definitely a highlight, whilst the aria at the end of Act Two when he goes off to battle, ‘Al lampo dell’armi’ was a real tour de force, despite McVicar’s desire to send up the G&S element of an aria spending five minutes having the character vigorously leaving. The whole of the Act Three scene where he reappeared from the sea, with its imaginatively mix of arioso, recitative and aria, with finely done and kept the focus really on the character.
Planet Hugill, Robert Hugill

…American countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen who sang Cesare with commanding projection and plenty of agility to negotiate Handel’s challenging runs. His aria ‘Va tacito’ was a delicious dance of diplomacy, masking the general’s suspicion and seething anger.
Gramophone, Mark Pullinger

…the American Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen plays Caesar, noble, susceptible, golden-toned...
The Guardian, Fiona Maddocks

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen’s powerful countertenor (two words I have never used together before) ably filled the role of Julius Caesar. He made the vocal acrobatics of the hero’s arias seem effortless.
National World, Mavis Kirkham

The trickiest role, vocally, is that of Cesare. When Janet Baker famously brought the opera back to the repertoire in the late 1970s, she had it transposed up a third to give strength to the role’s lower range. From 2005 onwards, when Sarah Connolly premiered the production, Glyndebourne has stuck with Handel’s original keys. Whether sung by a mezzo like Connolly or, as here, by a countertenor, that’s a tough ask, and initially Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, although never less than assured, is slightly more commanding physically and dramatically than he is vocally. But initial doubts are obliterated by the power of his singing throughout the second and third acts, displaying the other end of his voice. He and Cummings take the vengeance-seeking Al Lampo dell’Armi at a dangerously thrilling pace, but it never seems rushed, because Nussbaum Cohen’s vocal agility is jaw-dropping.
The Stage, David Benedict

One benefit of a male Cesare is (paradoxically, given the voice type) a testosterone-laden contest with his villainous opposite number, sybarite Tolomeo; both were alto castrati in the 1724 premiere, and the two countertenors here proved perfect in contrasting looks and timbres. Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen probably has the most blazing upper trumpet tones on the countertenor scene today…Cesare’s last big flourish. “Quel torrente”…rightly won audience roars.
The Arts Desk, David Nice

Dieses Stück ist nichts für schwache Nerven. Bei George Benjamins „Written on Skin“ an der Deutschen Oper werden grausige Bilder heraufbeschworen, die sich jedoch nicht auf der Bühne abspielen, sondern im Kopf des Zuschauers entstehen (Regie: Katie Mitchell)… die großartigen Sänger, allen voran der Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, machen den Abend zu einem Ereignis. Riesen-Jubel.
Berliner Zeitung, Martina Hafner

Dieser Künstler ist ein mittelalterlicher Buchillustrator. Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen spielt ihn mit mächtiger Stimme und Gestalt, aber eben auch kongenial jungenhaft – gemäß dem Text, der ihn stets als „Jungen“ bezeichnet.
Morgenpost, Matthias Nöther

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, il più giovane e il più vicino alle sonorità di un castrato naturale, straordinariamente intenso, perfetto per le preghiere e i lamenti, per le arie di sentimento più liriche e drammatiche quanto a volume, peso timbrico e nobiltà del legato più un affondo espressivo che sa bene come toccare il cuore.  Rispettivamente, nel recente Giulio Cesare, hanno brillato nel ruolo del titolo, nel re Tolomeo e in Sesto Pompeo…Il terzo ma più ampio focus è sul giovane americano Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen che, in prima battuta, s’inquadra con un numero bellissimo e complesso, articolato in recitativo accompagnato e arioso…La dolente drammaticità della scena e il lamento del protagonista del titolo in Larghetto, introdotto dai brividi fra mordenti e trilli ai violini primi, toccano uno dei punti più alti della serata, grazie ad accenti morbidi ma vigorosi e a un canto delicato e al contempo potente, sciolto con fiati lunghissimi e smorzature impalpabili. Sincero, toccante, magnifico.
Connessi all’Opera, Paola de Simone

Nussbaum Cohen sounds astonishingly beautiful as Athamas…
The Guardian, Tim Ashley

The air is constantly charged with emotional intensity, especially from Athamas… countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen’s fine singing as Athamas.
Financial Times, Richard Fairman

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sang with glorious strength and beauty of tone as Athamas.
Musical America, Clive Paget

Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen made much of the dull Athamas, the best male voice on display…
Bachtrack, Roy Westbrook

The event of the evening, however, is Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen’s David. The countertenor from New York sings flawlessly, effortlessly, yet intimately, never flatly: No wonder, one thinks immediately, that everyone is at the feet of this boy. In the end, with King Saul and Prince Jonathan dead and David beginning to suspect that a similar fate awaits him and his newborn son, he sings into a melancholy Herbert Howells “King David” song, a 100-year-old art song. The heir to the throne listens to the nightingale, now lonely and lost himself – Ranisch’s best directorial idea.
Tagesspiegel, Christiane Peitz

…der einzigartig weiche, helle Countertenor von Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen macht mit jeder Phrase Lust auf mehr.
taz, Peter Weissenburger

San Francisco countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen added to his growing catalog of memorable local appearances with a lustrous and detailed performance as Didymus.
San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman

The main super-discovery of the evening was the 27-year-old countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen – judging by the booklet, who performed the role of Caesar for the first time. With a timbre of rare beauty and with professional mastery of baroque vocal technique, with ease he displayed the most incredible grace, confidence, freedom and amazing artistry – these are just a few of the qualities that made the singer especially stand out. Listen to Caesar’s “hunting” aria with the solo French horn (end of act 1) – auditory ecstasy is guaranteed. (Translated from the original Russian)
Vash Dosug.ru, Nadezhda Travina

As King of the Fairies, 27-year-old countertenor Nussbaum Cohen is one of the only international guests at this year’s festival and upon witnessing his performance last night, it is clear as to why the international press considers him a redefining force in the countertenor field.
Limelight, Jansson J. Antmann

There were several good singers…But there was only one complete artist. At just 23, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen…already possesses a remarkable gift for intimate communication in a vast hall, combined with a voice of velvety gentleness — surprisingly penetrating given the tenderness of its texture. While most young performers in the National Council Auditions concentrate simply on nailing their high notes, Mr. Cohen — his diction superb, his acting alert without overplaying — provided an eloquent reflection on a current international crisis… Expressive yet dignified, his phrasing confident and his ornamentation stylishly discreet, he brought tears to my eyes. Mr. Cohen was deservedly named one of the competition’s six winners, but he stood clearly apart from the pack… There was only one singer who could plausibly stand with the voluptuous-voiced Jamie Barton, the commanding Amber Wagner and the impassioned Michael Fabiano — the distinguished previous winners who performed while the judges deliberated. Mr. Cohen is ready.
The New York Times, Zachary Woolfe

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