Maria Bengtsson

Known primarily for her many performances in operas by Mozart and Richard Strauss, Swedish soprano Maria Bengtsson has also distinguished herself in the concert hall. Born in Trelleborg into a family of musicians, Bengtsson was raised in Höllviken, where she received training in piano and choral singing. She attended high school in Malmö, followed by studies at the Musikhochschule Freiburg from 1995 to 2000, where her principal teacher was Beata Heuer-Christen, and she subsequently joined the Wiener Volksoper in 2000. Soon after, she sang at the Komische Oper Berlin, where she was cast in productions until 2007, notably singing the role of Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and returning in 2009 to sing the title role in Gluck's Armide. Other roles have included Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, the Governess in Britten's The Turn of the Screw, Elettra in Mozart's Idomeneo, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. She also sang the part of the Marschallin in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, the title role in Daphne, and the Countess in Capriccio, as well as the lead in Arabella. She has performed at major opera houses, including the Royal Opera House in London, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, the Bavarian State Opera and the Staatsoper Berlin, and she has appeared with leading conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Riccardo Muti, John Eliot Gardiner, Bertrand de Billy, Simone Young, Marc Minkowski, Philippe Jordan, Antonio Pappano, and Vladimir Jurowski. She also performed in the Elbphilharmonie's opening concert in 2017, where she sang in Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2, "Lobgesang."
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