No stranger to LA Opera, bass Vinícius Costa has come a long way from his birthplace of São Paulo, Brazil. Indeed, having made his debut with the company singing the Imperial Commissioner in last season’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, the singer has since appeared in three other LAO productions, with more roles on tap in the current season. But for those wishing to hear Costa sooner, he will be giving a recital with pianist and coach Julian Garvue on Oct. 19 at The Ebell of Los Angeles.
As part of the Association of African American Los Angeles Opera (AALAO)’s Michael Melton Memorial Fall Recital, the program will feature a range of songs from Europe and the Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian canons. Costa and Garvue met, unsurprisingly, through LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, a prestigious two-year residency for emerging opera artists.
Currently making his home in Los Angeles, Costa, 30, had been in Switzerland for six years, completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel before applying to the residency program. He had also been a Renée Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
“When I was in Europe, I had no idea what to expect from American programs,” Costa explained. “My first experience was in Aspen, the last two summers. I thought, ‘Wow, I should take a look at what’s happening,’ and then I met voice teacher Stephen King, who teaches here at LA Opera. I’ve always had this perception that Americans that I heard in Europe were very good singers, especially technically. They really knew what to do with their voices.
“Coming to L.A.,” Costa added, “was a wonderful surprise. The program challenges you but gives you space to develop by yourself. It also gives you responsibility — taking a role on stage. I had four roles — small roles — but thought, ‘You’re going to be on stage,’ which is amazing, because I don’t think other artist programs have that.”
Costa noted that under the residency program, he’d already given one recital with Garvue and had the opportunity to perform small gigs together. As for the Oct. 19 recital program, the singer said half will be more nostalgic, while the other half will “provoke a little bit of a reflection about the joy of life,” adding, “I will definitely do something from Don Quixote by Jacques Ibert. One of my favorite pieces is from Marlos Nobre, [where] he talks about a fisher. It portrays a beautiful ocean wave, and the text tells that he is dying like a fisherman dies — in the sea.”
When asked how his Brazilian heritage has influenced his approach to performing, Costa replied with a laugh. “I cannot escape from my heritage,” he said. “I can say that my father is the most Brazilian person I know. He loves soccer, he barbecues every weekend, and my musicalization comes from Brazilian popular music, samba, choro — all of those Brazilian rhythms.
“Part of my family,” he continued, “is from the northeast of the country, where it’s a completely different musical environment, [so] I was surrounded by it all the time. Then I decided to sing opera, which is pretty curious, because all my musicality is guided not only by knowledge [gained] in Switzerland and how to approach European poetry, for example, but also through my culture. I can’t do anything without bringing my culture into it.”
The singer is excited, as well, about his upcoming roles with LA Opera. He’ll appear as Aye in Akhnaten (February 2026), as Pistol in Falstaff (April 2026), and as the Speaker in The Magic Flute (May 2026), all roles that, in a sense, have stemmed from his time in the artist residency program.
“The tools and the opportunity to develop as an artist, to work in peace and find my own pace — this is great and so important. The knowledge we’re receiving is fantastic,” Costa said. “And the space we use to receive this knowledge is also fantastic.
“My voice really, really developed from a year ago. I just want to sing good music and meet good colleagues and develop myself as a human being. The consequence of becoming a better human [is that] you become a better artist.”
