Malin Byström
Malin Byström (born 1973)[1] is a Swedish lyric soprano who has sung leading roles at many of the world's leading opera houses.
Early life and education
Byström was born in Helsingborg.[2] Byström studied at the Härnösand High School, followed by the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg for four years,[2] then training as a soprano at Operahögskolan i Stockholm (University College of Opera, Stockholm).[3]
Career
She debuted at The Royal Opera as Amalia in I masnadieri in 2002, and has since sung Marguerite in Faust, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.[4]
Byström has also appeared with the Bavarian State Opera, Munich, and the Metropolitan Opera, New York. She has sung at the Salzburg Festival and the Aix-en-Provence Festival.[1] Her opera debut in Sweden was not until autumn 2007, when she sang Marguerite in Gounod's Faust with the Gothenburg Opera.[2]
In 2014, she sang the tile role in Richard Strauss's Arabella, with the New York Times remarking that her voice "has silvery plush", and describing her as "elegant in both looks and tone, and sounding full and flexible...uncannily reminiscent of Kiri Te Kanawa".[5]
Her repertoire includes the title role in Massenet's Thaïs, which she has sung at Palau de les Arts, Valencia, opposite Plácido Domingo, as well as three Mozart roles with Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.[1]
In 2012, Opera News in their review of Thaïs in Valencia wrote,
A svelte blonde beauty with the figure of a dancer, Byström is a consummate actress, who made the character's passage from sinner to saint fluid and believable. She commands a pristine soprano of distinctive color and strength. Her top register still needs developing, but in this most difficult character, Byström showed considerable promise and proved a worthy partner to the formidable Domingo.[6]
Awards
Byström received a Jenny Lind scholarship in 1998 and a Birgit Nilsson scholarship in 2008.[2]
Personal life
She is married to the Swedish baritone Markus Schwartz. They live in Gothenburg and have two children.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony 2013" (PDF). Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Från mammas kör till Metropolitan". Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "Malin Byström". Göteborg Opera. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "Malin Byström". www.roh.org.uk. Royal Opera House. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Love, Envy and a Glass of Water". New York Times. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ "Thais". Opera News. Retrieved 24 April 2014.