This is a list of operatic sopranos and mezzo-sopranos who were born in Denmark or whose work is closely associated with that country.
This is a list of operatic sopranos and mezzo-sopranos who were born in Denmark or whose work is closely associated with that country.
Henrik Rung was a Danish composer.
Catharine Elisabeth Simonsen née Ryssländer was a Danish soprano who performed in operas at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. In 1843, she was awarded the prestigious title of Royal Chamber Singer by King Christian VIII.
Josephine Amalie Zinck née Lund (1829–1919) was a Danish mezzo-soprano singer who performed in concerts at Copenhagen's Musikforeningen from the age of 18 and in operas at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1858.
Vilhelmine Leocadie Theresia Gerlach was a Danish-Swedish mezzo-soprano opera singer who sang at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1845 to 1866. Considered to have been the country's most successful female singer of her day, she retired from the Royal Theatre while still young but continued to perform and give singing lessons at the Casino Theatre.
Elisabeth Caroline Cathrine Dons (1864–1942) was a Danish operatic mezzo-soprano who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1885. Thanks to training in Paris, she was later able to take on soprano roles, becoming Denmark's operatic prima donna by the 1890s.
Sophie Helene Henriette Keller née Rung (1850–1929) was a Danish operatic soprano, musician and singing teacher, who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen from 1869. She founded both a conservatory for women and a women's concert association.
Ida Christina Møller (1872–1947) was a Danish operatic soprano who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1894 to 1926. She is remembered for her roles in Mozart's operas, especially Susanna, Zerlina, and Blonde.
Edith Johanne Oldrup-Björling was a Danish operatic soprano. She made her début at the Royal Danish Opera in 1935 where she performed until 1949. She is remembered in particular for her roles in the operas of Mozart and Puccini. Oldrup made over 60 recordings.
Tina Sarsøe Kiberg is a Danish operatic soprano who has gained international success, thanks in particular for her leading roles in the operas of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. In addition to performances at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, she has sung in Bayreuth and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Lone Herman Koppel is a Danish operatic soprano who for some 30 years was one of the leading opera singers at Copenhagen's Royal Theatre. Among her memorable performances was her 1964 appearance in Puccini's Tosca, which was broadcast on Danish television.
Ingeborg Steffensen was a Danish mezzo-soprano opera singer who made her début at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1915 as Annchen in Carl Maria von Weber's Jægerbruden. She was particularly successful in the title role of Carmen, as Dalila in Samson and Delilah and Azuncena in Il trovatore. She also sang the soprano Fru Ingeborg in Peter Heise's Danish opera Drot og marsk. After her retirement from the stage in 1956, she continued to give concerts and sang oratorios.
Johanne Marie Emilie Brun née Prieme (1874–1954) was a Danish operatic soprano. She made her début at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1896 as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. In 1916, after being honoured with the title of Royal Chamber Singer, she sang at opera houses in Germany, becoming a favourite of the Nuremberg opera and later performing in Aachen and Danzig. In 1924 she returned to Denmark where she had to cope with financial difficulties.
Johanne Marie Magdalene Krarup-Hansen (1870–1958) was a Danish operatic mezzo-soprano. When 29, she made her début at the Royal Danish Theatre as Orpheus in Gluck's Orpheus and Euridice to wide acclaim. She is remembered in particular for being the first Danish Brünnhilde in Wagner's Die Walküre in 1902. She was honoured by King Frederik VIII in 1908 with the title Royal Chamber Singer.
Lilian Oda Theodora Weber Hansen (1911–1987) was a Danish operatic mezzo-soprano who from 1940 sang at the Royal Danish Theatre for 25 years. She is remembered above all for her talents as a dramatic actress, especially towards the end of her stage career when she was able to give full weight to roles of elderly women. She was admired as Gluck's Orpheus, Verdi's Ebola in Don Carlos and Wagner's Ortud in Lohengrin. In a lighter vein, she was repeatedly successful as Lille Forglemmigej in Den gode fregat Pinafore.
Else Marie Schøtt was a Danish operatic soprano who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1919 until she retired from the stage in 1951. Initially she frequently stood in for Tenna Kraft but became increasingly recognized as a significant performer in her own right, taking key roles in the works of Mozart, Verdi and Wagner as well in several Danish operas. In 1941, she played the title role in Paul von Klenau's Danish première of Elisabeth von England to wide acclaim. Schøtt was also a successful teacher, with pupils including Ruth Guldbæk and Tove Hyldgaard.
Ebba Anna Elisabeth Wilton, also Ebba Dane, née Pedersen (1896–1951) was a Danish operatic soprano who sang at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1924 to 1949. The foremost coloratura singer of her generation, her principal roles included Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Gilda in Rigoletto and Ännchen in Der Freischütz. She made guest appearances in Berlin, Paris and Riga. Her recordings from 1924 to 1928 are now available as a CD.
Ingeborg Nørregaard Hansen (1874–1941) was a Danish operatic soprano who débuted at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1899 as Senta in The Flying Dutchma. In 1901, she was engaged by the company, initially standing in for other singers. Over the years, she developed powerful interpretations of the romantic soprano roles in Wagner's operas, becoming one of the company's leading Wagnerian performers by her retirement in 1926.
Bonna Søndberg is a Danish former operatic soprano and singing educator. She first sung mezzo and made her on-stage debut as the housekeeper Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro in 1955. Søndberg was employed by the Royal Danish Theatre one year later and she remained with the institution until her retirement in 1987. She is a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and a recipient of the Tagea Brandt Rejselegat.
Louise Rudolfine Sahlgreen was a Danish operatic soprano. She was engaged by the Royal Danish Theatre in 1836, first as a member of the chorus but from 1842 as an opera singer. As a result of her plain looks, she did not reach prima donna status but nevertheless had a powerful soprano voice which extended to contralto, allowing her to perform a wide variety of roles. She was particularly successful as a soloist in the theatre's passion concerts in the Church of Our Lady where she sang every year from 1851 to 1869.
