Ingeborg Steffensen (4 June 1888 – 7 January 1964) was a Danish

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

opera singer who made her début at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1915 as Annchen in Carl Maria von Weber's '' Jægerbruden''. She was particularly successful in the title role of ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', as Dalila in '' Samson and Delilah'' and Azuncena in '' Il trovatore''. She also sang the soprano Fru Ingeborg in

Peter Heise Peter Heise (11 February 1830 – 12 September 1879) was a Danish composer, best known for the opera ''Drot og Marsk'' (''King and Marshal''). Heise's parents tried to press him into becoming a lawyer, but he scored highly in music at school, s ...

's Danish opera ''

Drot og marsk ''Drot og marsk'' (''King and Marshal'') is an opera by the Danish composer Peter Heise. The libretto, by Christian Richardt, is based on Carsten Hauch's play ''Marsk Stig'' (1850). The opera was first performed at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, ...

''. After her retirement from the stage in 1956, she continued to give concerts and sang oratorios.

Biography

Born on 4 June 1888 in Copenhagen. Ingeborg Steffensen was the daughter of the chief foreman William Georg Valdemar Steffensen (1846–1924) and Emma Julie née Weitemeyer (1847–1901). She was married three times: from 1914 to 1921 with the civil engineer Knud Aage Haldvig, from 1925 to 1932 with the review writer Alfred Frederik Oxholm Holck, and from 1934 to 1938 with the concert master Peder Albert Lynged. She had two children: Fritze (1919) and Steffen (1926). Encouraged by her German mother's interest in music, Steffensen received early voice training from the soprano

Sophie Keller Sophie Helene Henriette Keller née Rung (1850–1929) was a Danish operatic soprano, musician and singing teacher, who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen from 1869. She founded both a conservatory for women and a women's concert ...

. She later trained under the Norwegian soprano

Borghild Langaard Borghild Bryhn Langaard, (23 July 1883 – 20 November 1939) was a Norwegian operatic soprano. Biography Borghild Bryhn was born on 23 July 1883 in Kongsvinger. She died on 20 November 1939 in Oslo. Career Borghild Bryhn studied with Gina Os ...

. Steffensen's début was at a concert of her own in 1909, after which she mastered no less than 22 operatic roles. She first performed at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1909 as Annchen in ''Jægerbruden'' but then for the next ten years sang operetta and opera roles at

Det Ny Teater Det Ny Teater (English: The New Theatre) is an established theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, first opened in 1908. It is based in a building which spans a passage between Vesterbrogade and Gammel Kongevej in Copenhagen's theatre district on the borde ...

. She was engaged by the Royal Theatre from 1919 until her retirement in 1956, singing the main mezzo-soprano roles in '' Lohengrin'', '' Tristan und Isolde'', '' Aida'', '' Don Carlos'', ''

'' and many more. She often performed together with the outstanding soprano

Tenna Kraft Hortensia (Tenna) Kristine Sofie Erogine Kraft née Frederiksen (1885–1954) was a Danish operatic soprano. One of the Royal Danish Theatre's outstanding sopranos in the early 20th century, she sang in operas by Wagner, Verdi, Puccini and Richar ...

. In later years, she excelled in comic roles such as mothers and witches. In 1950,

Svend S. Schultz Svend Simon Schultz (December 30, 1913 – June 6, 1998) was a Danish composer and conductor. A pupil of Poul Schierbeck. Notable works *Bag kulisserne (1949) *Kaffehuset (1949) *Solbadet (1949) *Høst (1950) *Tordenvejret eller Da Søren blev ...

specially wrote the lead role of mother for her in his opera ''Høst'', bringing her additional fame. She performed widely in concerts and performances outside Denmark, especially in Austria, Germany, Norway and Sweden. For many years after her retirement, she continued to perform in concerts.

Awards

In 1931 she was honoured by King Christian X with the title of Kongelig kammersangerinde or Royal Chamber Singer while in 1934 she received the Ingenio et Arti.

References

External links

Discography of Ingeborg Steffensen from muziekweb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steffensen, Ingeborg 1888 births 1964 deaths Actresses from Copenhagen Danish operatic mezzo-sopranos Recipients of Ingenio et Arti