Birgit Nilsson Centennial Projects
A selection of features and reviews of the Birgit Nilsson centennial projects curated by the Birgit Nilsson Foundation.
Birgit Nilsson Centenary Tributes
A selection of tributes on the occasion of Birgit Nilsson’s centenary in 2018
Opera review:Birgit Nilsson Museum-Festival concert
Germany’s Concerti Magazine experiences the Birgit Nilsson Days: "The legendary high dramatist Birgit Nilsson was deeply rooted in her southern Swedish homeland of the Bjäre peninsula. The festive days dedicated to her on her ancestral farm bring her spirit alive. Senta in the cow pasture The legendary high dramatist Birgit Nilsson was deeply rooted in her southern Swedish homeland of the Bjäre peninsula. The festive days dedicated to her on her ancestral farm bring her spirit alive. On this very special…
Great end to the Birgit Nilsson-days
Magnificent Gala concert, lovely sunshine and sold out to the last seat! This year's Birgit Nilsson Days ended on Saturday evening at the Birgit Nilsson Museum - more specifically, the large meadow next to the great singer's parents' home. With Mark Levengood as an extremely confident and entertaining presenter, the audience enjoyed a program composed of brilliantly performed highlights from Birgit's early operatic repertoire. From Weber's Friskytten (Agathe was her debut role at the Royal Opera in 1946), to Verdi's…
Intensive Birgit Nilsson-days with international star line-up
An opera gala presenting over one hundred performers, including international star soloists and guest speaker, Mark Levengood, will be the highlight and finale of this year’s Birgit Nilsson Days. The 13 August concert takes place on a large outdoor stage at the Birgit Nilsson Museum, in the meadow adjacent to Birgit’s family home. Eight soloists will participate, including two young stars who perform for the first time in Scandinavia: soprano Joyce El-Khoury and tenor Jonathan Tetelman. “Joyce El-Khoury is miraculous,…
Cornelia Beskow-Birgit Nilsson Stipendium 2022
The 2022 Birgit Nilsson Stipendium is awarded to the Swedish lyric dramatic soprano, Cornelia Beskow, who receives 200.000 SEK (equivalent to $20.000) on August 12 when she will perform in Birgit Nilsson’s parish church at Västra Karup, as a part of the celebrations for this year’s “Birgit Nilsson Days”. Winner of the 2017 Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition, where she was awarded all four prizes, Cornelia Beskow trained at the Copenhagen Opera Academy (Soloist Class, 2009-2012) and the Stockholm University…
Birgit Nilsson-days
A week of masterclasses led by Hillevi Martinpelto and concerts hosted by the Birgit Nilsson Museum celebrate local, national and international talent. The 2022 festival features recitals by this summer's masterclass students (11 August), and Stipendium artist, Cornelia Beskow (12 August), as well as a large family outdoor concert with soloists, a chorus of 100 local singers, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Evan Rogister. Find program and tickets here.
The Artist Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005) was one of the greatest opera singers of the twentieth century. Her superb voice and supreme stage presence were praised by critics and audiences alike, bringing her international recognition as the world’s leading dramatic soprano and a legendary interpreter of especially Wagner, Strauss and Puccini. Birgit Nilsson made her operatic debut at the Swedish Royal Opera in 1946 and achieved international stardom in the mid 1950’s with her debuts in Vienna, Bayreuth, Buenos Aires, San Francisco and Chicago. She added a…
A museum for all senses
Birgit Nilsson lived on the farm in Svenstad with her parents until she was 23 years old. It was a simple upbringing without electricity or running water and the first amenities were not installed until the 1930s. Birgit helped with all the chores on the farm. She thinned beets, planted potatoes, harvested hay and milked cows. In other words, it was a life far removed from what she would later experience as one of the world’s most famous opera singers.…
Miah Persson – Master Class 2021
Internationally active Swedish soprano Miah Persson, grew up in Hudiksvall and now lives in England. After her education at the Stockholm Academy of Opera, she made her debut as Susanna in Mozart's Figaro's wedding in 1998 and has since been a sought-after guest on the world's opera and concert hall stages. In 2011, Miah Persson was appointed court singer. About this year's assignment, Miah Persson says: “It is with great anticipation that I look forward to leading this year's master…