Kjerstin Dellert (4 November 1925 – 5 March 2018) was a Swedish opera singer and theater manager.

Life

Early life

Born in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Dellert made her opera debut at Stora teatern (the old Gothenburg Opera stage) in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

in the 1950s.

Vocalist career

Her career as a vocalist had begun when she won an

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') is an American radio and television variety show that ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting '' Arthur God ...

contest in 1948 with '' Someone to Watch Over Me''. From the mid-1950s to the 1970s she worked primarily at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

in Stockholm in a variety of opera roles, including Floria in

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

's ''Tosca'' and

Harry Martinson Harry Martinson (6May 190411February 1978) was a Swedish writer, poet and former sailor. In 1949 he was elected into the Swedish Academy. He was awarded a joint 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974 together with fellow ...

/ Erik Lindegren/ Karl-Birger Blomdahl's opera ''Aniara'' in 1959. Dellert was also the initiator and producer of a few gala shows for particular celebrations, such as the show financed by Sweden's Parliament and given in 1976 at the Stockholm Opera for the wedding of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia (where

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

first performed '' Dancing Queen'' and she performed '' O, min Carl Gustaf'') and a review at

Södra teatern Södra Teatern is a theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Mosebacke torg on Södermalm in Stockholm. The venue is the oldest theatre in Stockholm and is situated in the heart of the city. History Södra Teatern is one of Sweden's o ...

for her own 50th birthday in 1975. At the latter, she summarized with a Swedish version of '' My Way'', describing her own life till then with lyrics by Lars Jacob; the words were updated by him so that Dellert could use it for her last recording in 2015 for her 90th birthday, produced by Emil Eikner. She dubbed the singing voice of

Eva Dahlbeck Eva Elisabet Dahlbeck (8 March 1920 – 8 February 2008) was a Swedes, Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Brink of Life'' (1958). Dahlbeck ...

for the role of Helena in the film '' Sköna Helena'' (1951). She participated in Melodifestivalen 1972 with "Kärlek behöver inga ord", finishing fourth.

Other activities

Dellert was the managing director of the Ulriksdal Palace Theatre Confidencen. Since the mid-1990s she has been retired from the stage, officially retired from the Swedish Royal Opera since 1979, but briefly in 2005 made a critically acclaimed appearance as

Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...

in the play ''Master Class'' by

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

at Confidencen and Lorensbergsteatern in

Personal life

In her first marriage Dellert was the mother of artist and entertainment personality Thomas Dellert, her only child.

Awards

Dellert was awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It") is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gusta ...

by the Swedish government in 1994.

Illness and death

On Christmas Eve 2016 Dellert suffered a stroke. She died at home on 5 March 2018, aged 92, in the presence of Nils-Åke Häggbom, her husband since 1968.

References

External links

*
Ulriksdal Palace Theatre Confidencen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dellert, Kjerstin 1925 births 2018 deaths Singers from Stockholm Swedish operatic sopranos 20th-century Swedish women opera singers Recipients of the Illis quorum