Jason Abrams is a countertenor, that rare singer whose repertoire has long been limited to such early composers as Handel, Buxtehude and Telemann. Today the number of those who write for the countertenor has soared with solo and operatic works by major contemporary composers John Tavener, Michael Tippett, Philip Glass, Peter Maxwell Davies, John Adams and many lesser known. This month, he returns home to sing the role of the Sandman in Virginia Opera’s “Hansel and Gretel.”
Growing up in Auburn, N.Y., Abrams participated in the school choruses in the alto section, but when his voice changed, the teacher told him he would have to sing with the boys. When his family moved to Hampton Roads, Va., his high school teachers were equally perplexed about his vocal placement.
