Swedish soprano Emma Berggren has sung Violetta Valéry in La Traviata with Pacific Lyric Association at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Leonora in Il Trovatore with Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Guild Opera Company, covered Gertrude and the Gingerbread Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of Orange County and the mezzo soprano soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the California Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Operatic credits include the titles roles in Tosca and Suor Angelica, Mimì in La Bohème, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the Celestial Voice in Don Carlo, Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto, Mercédès in Carmen, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Papagena and the Second Spirit in Die Zauberflöte, and has covered Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Giorgetta in Il Tabarro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd. Emma has performed with Pacific Lyric Association, Lyric Opera of Orange County, Guild Opera Company, Ridgecrest Opera Guild, Riverside Lyric Opera, California Philharmonic and Golden State Pops Orchestra.
Ms. Berggren was a finalist in the Bayreuth-Stipendium Wagner Society Gothenburg Vocal Competition in collaboration with GöteborgsOperan, Semi-Finalist in Asociación de Amigos de la Ópera de Santiago de Compostela VIII Concurso Interancional De Canto Compostela Lírica, and finalist the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hennings-Fischer Foundation Young Artist Competition. She has been awarded the Young Artist Apprentice Scholarship with the Verdi Chorus, Musicians Institute’s Outstanding Student Project Award for her musical compositions and the Margit Mechlers Musikstipendium. Ms. Berggren attended Lilla Akademiens Musikskola in classical singing in Stockholm and University of California, Los Angeles, Extension Film Scoring Program. Emma has been a part of Pacific Lyric Association’s Young Artist Program and AIMS Opera Studio in Graz, Austria, under scholarship. AIMS highlights include working privately with dramatic sopranos Linda Watson and Melanie Diener, and performing in the Puccini Gala concert under direction of Lukas Beikircher with the AIMS Orchestra at Stefanielsaal, Grazer Congress.
As a soloist, Emma Berggren recently appeared with the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra in their Obrigado Brazil concert performing works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, including Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, where she was joined by cellists Daniel Grab and Petter Ko alongside six cellists from the La Jolla Symphony. She also presented “Melodia Sentimental” from A Floresta do Amazonas by Villa-Lobos and “Manhã de Carnaval” by Luíz Bonfá, with orchestral arrangements by Domenico Hueso.
Emma has been featured as a soloist with the Falsterbo-Skanör Music Summer Program in Sweden, performing under the direction of Per Engström with the Maestro Skanör Falsterbo Musikföreningen. In addition, she recently appeared as a soloist in the Palisades Symphony’s Voices and Symphonies concert, performing the aria of Agathe “Wie nahte mir der Schlummer… Leise, leise, fromme Weise” from Weber’s Der Freischütz with guest conductor Andrew Karatay, under the direction of Maxim Kuzin.
Other highlights include performing selections from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Mission Opera and performances of Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder and Verdi’s Aida at Woodley Concert Corner. Ms. Berggren was featured with the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra in their A Scandinavian Voyage concert conducted by Zun-Hin Woo, where she performed “Solveigs sang” from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg, as well as Swedish art songs including “Skogen sover” by Hugo Alfvén, “Tonerna” by Carl Sjöberg, and the traditional folk song “Värmlandsvisan.”
Furthermore Emma is passionate about introducing children to opera and has actively worked with Guild Opera Company to further their mission. As part of Guild Opera Company’s educational outreach program Ms. Berggren has performed the role of Queen of Hearts in Robert Chauls’ Alice in Wonderland at many elementary schools in Los Angeles County.
Upon first arriving in Southern California, Ms. Berggren joined several choral groups including Dream Orchestra for Händel’s Messiah and Rossini’s Stabat Mater conducted by Daniel Suk, and the California Philharmonic under the baton of Victor Vener and vocal direction of Marya Basaraba at Walt Disney Concert Hall & Santa Anita Race Track. Through Golden State Pops Orchestra lead by Steven Allen Fox, in collaboration with Varèse Sarabande, Ms. Berggren performed with film composers such as Christopher Young, Joseph Lo Duca, John Debney, Marco Beltrami, William Ross and Hans Zimmer.
Upcoming engagements include singing Amelia in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera with Guild Opera Company.
