Birgitta Svendén (née Lundberg, 20 March 1952), is a Swedish

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

. Svendén was born in Porjus and then raised in Vuollerim. She studied at Operahögskolan in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, and later embarked on an international career in the first place as a Wagner singer, especially at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

where she sang several performances between 1983 and 1999, many of those as Erda. She was also a frequent guest at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

in New York between 1988 and 2000. Her artistic base remained at the

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

where she was contracted from 1981 to 2004. Birgitta Svendén was appointed hovsångerska in 1995. She is also a full member of the Academy of Music and an honorary doctor at the Lulea University of Technology. From 1 August 2005 to 2009, she was the rector of the Opera School in Stockholm. Since 1 February 2010, she has been General Manager of the Royal Swedish Opera.

Recordings

'' The Flying Dutchman'' (1994), conducted by

James Levine James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...

with

orchestra and chorus. Cast included James Morris, Deborah Voigt,

Jan-Hendrik Rootering Jan-Hendrik Rootering (born 18 March 1950 in Wedingfeld near Flensburg) is a German-born operatic bass, son of the Dutch tenor Hendrikus Rootering from whom he had his first lessons. After further study at Hamburg's ''Musikhochschule'' he began ...

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a renowned Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life Heppner, was born in Murrayville, British Columb ...

, Paul Groves, and Birgitta Svendén. She also sang Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried in the Met Opera Ring Cycle CDs and DVDs recorded between 1987 and 1991 conducted by Levine with Morris, Behrens, Wlaschiha, Goldberg (Siegfried CD), Jerusalem (Siegfried DVD) and Ludwig.

Videography

* ''

The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991 ''The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991'' was a four-hour concert staged by the Metropolitan Opera on 23 September 1991 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its opening night in its second home at Lincoln Center. It was televised by Cablevision, and is ...

'', Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582

References

External links

* 1952 births Living people People from Jokkmokk Municipality Swedish operatic mezzo-sopranos Swedish opera managers {{Sweden-opera-singer-stub