Carolina Östberg

Carolina Östberg as Adina in L'elisir d'amore by Donizetti.

Carolina Östberg (May 17 1853 – 1929) was a Swedish opera singer and singing teacher. She was one of the most popular stars of her time in Sweden, and was internationally known.

Östberg, the daughter of a barber-surgeon, displayed a natural musical talent at an early age. She was a student at Dramatens elevskola from 1869 to 1873 and a student of Signe Hebbe. She was active as a concert singer before she debuted at Stora Teatern at the 1873–74 season with Louise Pyk. Both Östbeg and Pyk were hugely successful. She was given a contract after her part as Carlo Broschi in Hälften var (Half each), a part which was to be her most popular.

When she retired after her marriage in 1877, it was seen as a great loss, as she had managed to become one of her country's most noted singers. When she was unexpectedly launched in the lead role of Boccaccio in Nya Teatern in 1879, "The applause never seemed to stop", and the press demanded that she be given a position at the Royal Swedish Opera. She performed in Copenhagen (1880), Germany (1882–83), Norway (1885), and Nya Teatern in Stockholm under the name Mrs Östberg.

In 1886, Östberg was employed at the Royal Swedish Opera, which was seen as the triumph of the audience over the operatic management; "The Public had had its will" over the opera, after having demanded that she be employed there for years. She stayed there for the remainder of her career, except for a tour of the United States in 1892–94. She was compared to Louise Michaeli. She was awarded the Litteris et Artibus medal in 1891, and again with brilliants in 1900. In 1897, she was inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In 1905, she made nine gramophone recordings. She retired in 1906 and was later active as a singing teacher.

Among her parts were the title role of La Gioconda, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Alice in Falstaff, Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots and the title role in Aida.

References

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