Carolina Östberg (17 May 1853 – 27 February 1924) was a Swedish

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

and singing teacher. She was nationally and internationally famous and belonged to the elite members of the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

Life

Carolina Östberg was the daughter of the barber-surgeon Johan Ludvig Östberg and Beata Ulrika Wallberg. She displayed a natural musical talent at an early age. She was enrolled at the

Royal Dramatic Training Academy The Royal Dramatic Training Academy ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, also known as ''Dramatens elevskola''), was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years (1787–1964) seen as the ...

from 1869 to 1873, and a student of

Signe Hebbe Signe Amanda Georgina Hebbe (30 July 1837 – 14 February, 1925) was a Swedish operatic soprano and instructor. Life Signe Hebbe was born in Värnamo to the journalist Vendela Hebbe and Clemens Hebbe. Education In 1848, at the age of ele ...

. She was active as a concert singer before she made her debut '' Stora Teatern'' at the 1873–74 season with Louise Pyk. Both Östbeg and Pyk made a great success. She was given a contract at the Stora Teatern after her part as

Carlo Broschi Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi (), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera. Farinelli h ...

in ''Hälften var'', a part which was to be her most popular. When she retired after her marriage to the merchant Horwitz in 1877, she had become one of her country's most noted singers. When she was unexpectedly launched in the lead role of ''Boccaccio'' in '' Nya Teatern'' in 1879, "The applause never seemed to stop", and the press demanded that she be given a position at the

. She performed in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

(1880), Germany (1882–83), Norway (1885), and ''Nya Teatern'' in Stockholm under the name Mrs Östberg. In 1886, Östberg was employed at the Royal Swedish Opera. This was seen as the triumph of the audience over the operatic management: "The Public had had its will" over the opera, after having demanded that she be employed there for years. She stayed there for the remainder of her career, except for a tour of the United States in 1892–94. She was compared to Louise Michaeli. She was awarded the

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

medal in 1891, and again with brilliants in 1900. In 1897, she was inducted into the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music ( sv, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. At the time of its foundation, only one of its co-founder was a professional musician, Ferdin ...

. In 1905, she made nine gramophone recordings. She retired in 1906, and was later active as a singing teacher. Among her parts were the title role of '' La Gioconda'', Sieglinde in ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

'', Alice in ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'', Marguerite de Valois in ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work suc ...

'' and the title role in ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

''.

References

*
Europas konstnärer
' (The artists of Europe) (Swedish) * Österberg, Carin et al., ''Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare'' (Swedish women: Predecessors, pioneers). Lund: Signum 1990. ()

Life

References

Further reading