EMMA SVENTELIUS

MEZZO-SOPRANO

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REVIEWS

“The burning warmth in the colours of her voice, the nuanced variations and the convincing emotional expression — everything about this singer seduces.” — Operaworld

“The vocally and technically complicated title role Adriana is brilliantly interpreted by Emma Sventelius.” — Sveriges Radio.

“The gorgeous Octavian … with a smooth, glowing mezzo voice.”
— Kronen Zeitung

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Swedish mezzo-soprano Emma Sventelius is recognised for her compelling dramatic instinct, warm Scandinavian timbre and versatility across opera, concert and contemporary repertoire. Her artistic profile combines major lyric mezzo and trouser roles with a strong commitment to newly created works and Nordic contemporary music, establishing her as one of the most distinctive Scandinavian mezzos of her generation.

Emma has appeared at leading opera houses and festivals across Europe, including Volksoper Wien, Theater Bonn, Malmö Opera, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and Savonlinna Opera Festival. Her repertoire includes roles such as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Carmen, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Orlando, Hänsel, Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Niclausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus).

A central part of Emma’s artistic identity is her close engagement with contemporary opera and newly commissioned music. She received wide acclaim for the title role in the Swedish premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater at Norrlandsoperan, later reprising the role at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2024. She has also created numerous roles in contemporary productions and chamber operas in close collaboration with Nordic composers and interdisciplinary creators.

Upcoming season includes a return to Malmö Opera as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust, alongside continued collaborations within Scandinavian concert repertoire and contemporary Nordic music projects.

Equally active on the concert stage, Emma has performed with orchestras including Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven Orchester Bonn and Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. Her concert repertoire ranges from Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Mass in B minor to Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and major late-Romantic orchestral song cycles, including acclaimed performances of Alma Mahler’s Sieben Lieder.

Emma Sventelius is the recipient of several distinguished awards and scholarships, including the Birgit Nilsson Scholarship, the Barbro Salén Scholarship at the Royal Swedish Opera and scholarships from the Anders Wall Foundation and OVIS Foundation.

• REPERTOIRE, OPERA

  Bizet
  Carmen — Carmen

  Gounod
  Faust — Siebel (upcoming)
  Roméo et Juliette — Stéphano

  Humperdinck
  Hänsel und Gretel — Hänsel

  Mozart
  Le nozze di Figaro — Cherubino
  Die Zauberflöte — Second Lady

  Offenbach
  Les Contes d’Hoffmann — Nicklausse

  Puccini
  Madama Butterfly — Suzuki

  R. Strauss
  Der Rosenkavalier — Octavian

  Tchaikovsky
  Eugene Onegin — Olga

  CONTEMPORARY OPERA

  Kaija Saariaho
  Adriana Mater — Adriana

  Bayani Mabalot
  Stabat Mater – A Chamber Opera — Mezzo Soprano 1

  Daniel Fjällström
  Det går an — Vera

  Gunnar Lindström
  Aquilegia — Ia

  Benjamin Staern
  The Importance of Being Earnest — Miss Prism

  Karin Rehnqvist
  Färden till Arareko — Stark

• CONCERT & ORATORIO

  Bach
  Mass in B minor
  St Matthew Passion
  Christmas Oratorio

  Beethoven
  Symphony No. 9
  Missa Solemnis

  Chaminade
  Messe pour deux voix

  Mahler
  Kindertotenlieder
  Rückert-Lieder
  Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

  Mozart
  Requiem

  Pergolesi
  Stabat Mater

  Peterson-Berger
  Gullebarns vaggsånger

  Rosenberg
  Den heliga natten

  Saint-Saëns
  Oratorio de Noël

  Sandström
  High Mass

  Scarlatti
  Stabat Mater

  Verdi
  Messa da Requiem

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