Christina Nilsson

The young Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson has this season sung her first Elsa in Lohengrin at Opernhaus Dortmund. This is followed by another role debut this winter with her first Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. This will be followed by the title role of Aida on the same stage later this spring.

The previous season, Christina Nilsson performed her first Ariadne in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos at Oper Frankfurt, which was followed by the same role at Opéra de Lausanne this spring. In the season 2017-2018 Christina made her role debut as Aida at The Royal Swedish Opera, with great success and fantastic reviews. She also appeared in concerts with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Stockholm Concert Hall and she was a guest at the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, where she performed Strauss' Vier letzte Lieder.

Christina was last season a guest at the Opéra de Lyon where she sung Die Aufsehering and covered the role of Chrysothemis in Elektra. She has previously appeared as one of the Drei Arme Adelige Waisen in Der Rosenkavalier and as Donna Anna in Min bror är Don Juan by W.A Mozart/Niklas Brommare (A short version of Don Giovanni) at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. She has performed the role of The Magician in Son of Heaven by Moto Osada and she has sung Geltrude in Enrico di Borgogna, Donizetti, both at Vadstena Akademien She has also appeared as Sångerskan in Hos Oss by Swedish composer Thomas Jennefelt.

Christina Nilsson was born in Ystad in Southern Sweden and moved to Stockholm when she began her studies at the Lilla Akademien musikgymnasium. After two years at Vadstena folkhögskola she began her studies at the University College of Opera in Stockholm from where she got her Master’s degree in June 2017.

Christina Nilsson participated in the 2019 Operalia competition, where she was awarded the Third prize as well as the Birgit Nilsson Prize. In 2017 Christina Nilsson was awarded the First prize in the Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition, and she received the First prize as well as the Audience's prize of the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Competition in 2016.

Christina received the Birgit Nilsson Scholarship of 2015 and in 2014 she was awarded the Jenny Lind scholarship which included a concert tour in the United States and Canada. Christina has also received scholarships from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Mats Liljefors scholarship in 2013, the Vadstena Akademien scholarship in 2012 and Ystads Allehanda Culture Prize in 2011.

"Christina Nilsson ist eine Ariadne wie aus dem Bilderbuch: jung, verzweifelt, total am Rand. Sie singt ganz ohne Wobble, mit grossem Atem. Voll, weich und rund glänzt diese Stimme, sie hat heldische Höhe und orgelnde Tiefe.

Nilsson ist zurzeit einer der Shootingstars der Opernszene. Erst vorletztes Jahr hat sie in Stockholm ihr Examen absolviert, einige Preise gewonnen und wird nun international herumgereicht, zuletzt als Chrysothemis in Lyon. Und wo immer sie singt, fällt sie auf." (Eleonore Büning/Neue Zürcher Zeitung, March 19, 2019)

Updated February 2020