Elisabeth Söderström

Elisabeth Söderström, born May 7, 1927, in Stockholm, was a Swedish soprano who became one of her country's most celebrated opera singers. She made her operatic debut in 1947 at Drottningholm Palace Theatre and was a principal artist with the Royal Swedish Opera from 1949 to 1980. Internationally, she performed at leading venues including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and London's Covent Garden. Acclaimed for her expressive acting and distinctive soprano voice, Söderström mastered a broad repertoire spanning Monteverdi to contemporary opera and appeared in the premieres of György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre and Dominick Argento's The Aspern Papers. She also enjoyed a distinguished concert and recording career, particularly for her interpretations of 19th-century Russian repertoire and the operas of Leoš Janáček. From 1993 to 1996, she served as artistic director of Drottningholm Palace Theatre. She died on November 19, 2009.