A summer festival celebrating Birgit Nilsson ́s legacy at her home in South Sweden
”Nilsson’s legacy is nowhere as tangible and alive as here: not as a transfiguration of the past, but as a promise for the future of opera.”
Concerti Magazine, Germany
The 2024 Birgit Nilsson Days take place from 4 – 10 August at the legendary singer’s home on the Bjäre Peninsula. Supported by the Birgit Nilsson Museum and the Foundation which also curates the Prize in her name, the week-long festival supports singers at all stages of their career and invites amateur local choirs to also take to the stage.
The week begins with masterclasses under the guidance of Royal Swedish Court singer and leading dramatic soprano / mezzo-soprano, Katarina Dalayman. Opera students worldwide are invited to apply for the four-day course which concludes with a student concert at the Ravinen Culture Centre (8 August).
This year’s Birgit Nilsson Stipendium concert (laureate TBA) takes place the following evening in Västra Karup church (9 August). The local church in which Birgit regularly sang through-out her life and personally presented the stipendium, has become the traditional location for this annual event, supporting Swedish singers at the start of their careers.
This summer marks 60 years since Birgit Nilsson made an acclaimed appearance at Båstad’s tennis stadium – and as the role of Amelia in Un ballo in maschera was one of her absolute favorites – the Birgit Nilsson Days close with a special performance on the same centre court, especially built for the event with space for 3,000 opera visitors.
Star soloists Joyce El-Khoury and Michel Fabiano will make an acclaimed return to Båstad leading a cast of both international and Swedish singers, including Fredrik Zetterström, Elizabeth DeShong, Marina Monzó, Anton Ljungqvist and Anders Lorentzson. The concert staging led by conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi, and stage director Staffan Valdemar Holm, also features the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and a choir of amatuer local singers from across the region.
Throughout the summer the Birgit Nilsson Museum will be open, offering visitors the chance to step back in time and explore the singer’s childhood home. “As you wander through this private world, so far removed from the glamour of glossy photos … you rediscover the joie de vivre and simplicity that were the singer’s true nature.“ (Ópera Magazine, France)
4 – 7 August
Master Class 10:30 – 16:30
With Katarina Dalayman
in the Birgit Nilsson Hall, Ravinen Cultural Centre in Båstad
8 August at 19:00
Master Class concert in the Birgit Nilsson Hall, Ravinen Cultural Centre in Båstad
9 August at 19:00
Stipendium award ceremony and recital
in Västra Karup Church
10 August at 19.00
Un ballo in maschera
Center Court, Båstad
Michael Fabiano- Gustav III
Fredrik Zetterström- Anckarström
Joyce El-Koury- Amelia
Elizabeth DeShong- Ulrica
Marina Monzó- Oscar
Anton Ljungqvist- Horn
Anders Lorentzson- Ribbing
Magnus Lindegård- Silvano
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
Pier Giorgio Morandi conductor
Staffan Valdemar Holm – stage director
25 June – 1 September
Birgit Nilsson Museum (opening times Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 – 17:00
2024 exhibition: “Vienna – the city of my dreams”