Söderström, Elisabeth Anna

Söderström, Elisabeth Anna, 1927–2009, Swedish soprano, b. Stockholm, studied Royal Academy of Music and Opera School, Stockholm. Known for her warm and vibrantly beautiful voice, her technical finesse and acting ability, and the wide variety of roles she performed, she made her professional debut in 1947 at Sweden's Drottningholm Court Theater in Mozart's Bastien et Bastienne, and much later (1993–96) served as the theater's director. Söderström was particularly well known in her homeland, where she was a member of the Swedish Royal Opera until her retirement, and in England, where she debuted (1957) and often performed at the Glyndebourne Festival and also sang at Covent Garden. She first appeared (1959) at the Metropolitan Opera in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, singing there until 1964, from 1983–87, and in 1999, her last operatic performance. She was known for song recitals, and made numerous recordings.

See her In My Own Key (1978, tr. 1979).

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