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Welcome

Welcome to my webpage and a big thank you to the Scandinavian Jussi Bjorling Society for appointing me to be the first recipient of the Scandinavian Jussi Bjorling Society Award, in 2008.

Made in Sweden - The year 2010 will mark fifty years since Jussi Bjorling, one of the greatest singers of all time, passed away.
The year 2011 will be the centennial of his birth. These historic events are to be commemorated with the multimedia performance "Made in Sweden" which presents some of the greatest performers of the classical Swedish singing tradition including Birgit Nilsson and others along with Jussi.
With the help of carefully selected recordings and a slide show compiled and presented by Bertil Bengtsson, the audience is taken on a fascinating and vocally brilliant journey through Swedish music- and cultural history.
The elite contemporary Swedish singing is represented by lyric tenor Mats Carlsson in famous songs and arias accompanied by pianist Love Derwinger. His vocal performance exemplifies the continuation of our proud singing tradition. Thus the old and the new are linked together in a musically thrilling performance!

The performers are:
Bertil Bengtsson - . A seasoned lecturer, Bertil is a co-founder of the Scandinavian Jussi Bjorling,
and a longstanding consultant with the Jussi Bjorling museum in the singer's hometown of Borlange, Sweden.
For 25 years Bertil has studied and researched in great depth the life and career of Jussi Bjorling as well as other great singers of the past including Enrico Caruso.
His international lecture venues include the Smithsonian Institution, Vocal Arts Society and Finlandia Foundation
(all three in Washington D.C.); Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota; Friends of English National Opera, London;
The St. Olav, and Kirsten Flagstad Festivals (both in Norway).
Bertil has also produced radio programs and articles about Jussi Bjorling as well as other singers.

Mats Carlsson - In recent years Mats has established himself as one of the most sought after tenors in Sweden in both opera and concert. He is praised for his shimmering Nordic timbre coupled with an Italianate style. His ringing high notes are well known. Mats is the first recipient of the Scandinavian Jussi Bjorling Society Award, in 2008.

Love Dervinger - He's regarded as one of Sweden's leading pianists. According to one reviewer: "Love Dervinger is perhaps the most original and interesting pianistic personality of his generation".

Program (to be varied depending on venue)

"Great Swedish Singers of the Past" (Bertil Bengtsson, lecturer)

Zueignung (R.Strauss)
La donna è mobile (Verdi: Rigoletto)
Cielo e mar (Ponchielli: La Gioconda)

Intermission

"Great Swedish Singers of the Past", continued (Bertil Bengtsson)

Ideale (Tosti)
The ballad of Kleinzack (Offenbach: The tales of Hoffmann)
E lucevan le stelle (Puccini: Tosca)

"An homage to Jussi Bjorling" (Bertil Bengtsson)

Bland skogen hoga furustammar (Peterson-Berger)
Nar jag för mig sjalv i morka skogen gar
Nessun dorma (Puccini: Turandot)