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Knut Skram (born 18 December 1937) is a Norwegian baritone. Considered one of the most important Norwegian
opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...
s of his generation, his career has spanned more than four decades.


Life and career

Born in the village of Sæbø in western Norway, Skram was one of the six children of Kari Totland and Asbjørn Skram, a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
. When he was 19, he went to the United States to work on his uncle's ranch in
Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...
for a year. He then trained as an architect at
Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...
and concurrently studied singing there with the lyric baritone George Buckbee. In the summer before his final year at university he sang with Chautauqua Opera Company and a few months later won the
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
district
Metropolitan Opera Auditions The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition (formerly the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions) is an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera. Established in 1954, its purpose is to discover, assis ...
for the second time. After a brief stint working as an architect in New York City, he returned to Norway to pursue his singing career. In 1964, following further singing study with
Paul Lohmann Paul Fritz Lohmann (5 February 1926 – 10 December 1995) was a cinematographer. In 1976, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming for a Special for ''Eleanor and Franklin'', an award he shared ...
in
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
and Luigi Ricci in Rome, he made his official stage debut as Amonasro in ''
Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...
'' at the
Norwegian National Opera The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...
. He went on to sing a wide range of baritone roles both internationally and in his native country where he was member of the Norwegian National Opera for 36 years. Skram's international appearances have included
Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Du ...
where he sang Amfortas in a production of ''
Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem '' Parziv ...
'' directed by
Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept ...
(1990) and Orestes in '' Elecktra'' (1992);
Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
where he appeared for nine seasons, most notably as Guglielmo in ''
Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...
'' and Figaro in ''
The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' ( opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It pre ...
''; and the
Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
where he sang several Wagnerian roles.Habbestad (17 March 2008). He has also appeared at London's
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienn ...
in Paris,
Arena di Verona The Verona Arena ( it, Arena di Verona ) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in 30 AD. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best ...
,
La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...
in Brussels, and the
Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental ...
. Skram officially retired from the Norwegian National Opera in 2000 with a farewell performance as Baron Scarpia in ''
Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dr ...
''. However, he has continued to perform occasionally both in concerts and on the opera stage. In May 2011 more than forty years after his debut, he sang the role of Creon in
Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
's
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
-
oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
''
Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
'' at the
Bergen International Festival Bergen International Festival ( no, Festspillene i Bergen) is an annual international music and cultural festival in Bergen, Norway. Biography The Bergen International festival is the largest festival in the Nordic countries in its genre and ha ...
. In 1984 Skram was awarded Norway's Knight of the Order of St. Olav and in 2001 the
Anders Jahre Anders August Jahre (28 May 1891 – 26 February 1982) was a Norwegian shipping magnate. Jahre was educated in law, and worked as a lawyer in Sandefjord from 1916 until 1928. Meanwhile, he was also involved in the whaling industry, and he founded ...
s Kulturpris for outstanding contribution to Norwegian culture.University of Oslo (Department of Musicology) He was Chairman of the Norwegian Opera Singer Association from 1979 to 1983 and served on the board of directors of the Norwegian National Opera from 2001 to 2008. He was a member of the jury which selected the design for the new
Oslo Opera House The Oslo Opera House ( no, Operahuset) is the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is ...
and participated in the opening concerts in April 2008. Skram has been married to the dancer Hanne (Thorstensen) Skram since 1966.


Recordings

In 2008, the Norwegian record company Simax issued a CD of Skram's live concert recordings spanning a 25-year period of his career, ''Knut Skram - Concert Recordings'' (Simax PSC 1804), which includes opera arias as well as a complete performance of
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
's song cycle ''
Dichterliebe ''Dichterliebe'', "A Poet's Love" (composed 1840), is the best-known song cycle by Robert Schumann ( Op. 48). The texts for the 16 songs come from the ''Lyrisches Intermezzo'' by Heinrich Heine, written in 1822–23 and published as part of Heine' ...
'' with pianist Robert Levin.Forsling (July 2008) Skram can also be heard on: * Grieg: ''Complete Songs'' – Knut Skram, Christa Pfeiler, Kjell Magnus Sandve, Marianne Hirsti, pianist
Rudolf Jansen Rudolf Jansen (born January 19, 1940, in Arnhem) is a Dutch pianist, who studied piano, organ and harpsichord simultaneously at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. His teachers were Nelly Wagenaar, his father Simon C. Jansen, Felix de Nobel and Gust ...
. Label: Brilliant Classics CD 93803 * Mozart: ''
Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It prem ...
'' –
Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...
(Countess Almaviva),
Benjamin Luxon Benjamin Matthew Luxon (born 24 March 1937, Redruth, Cornwall) is a retired British baritone. Biography He studied with Walther Gruner at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (while working part-time as a PE teacher in the East End) and es ...
(Count Almaviva),
Ileana Cotrubas Ileana (also Illeana, Iliana, Eleana, Eliana) is a female given name. It is the feminine form of the male name Elijah. It has been adapted for Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Italian and Spanish (in Spanish there is also Ilean and in Romania ...
(Susanna), Knut Skram (Figaro),
Frederica Von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, ...
(Cherubino); The London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Pritchard (conductor). Filmed live at the 1973 Glyndebourne Festival. Label: Arthaus Musik DVD 101089 * Strauss: '' Der Krämerspiegel'', Op. 66 – Knut Skram (baritone), Eva Knardahl (piano). Label: Bis CD 49


References

;Notes ;Sources *Andersen, Rune J
"Knut Skram"
Store Norsk Leksikon *Cummings, David ed. (2000
"Skam, Knut"
''International Who's Who in Music'', 17th edition, p. 599. Routledge. *Forsling, Göran (July 2008)

MusicWeb International *Habbestad, Ida (17 March 2008)
"Knut Skram: Aldri utlært"
(interview). Ballade *Henahan, Donal (5 June 1990)

''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' *Rothstein, Edward (1 June 1992)

''New York Times'' *Skancke-Knutsen, Arvid (10 September 2001)
"Anders Jahres kulturpris til Knut Skram"
Ballade *''
The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...
'' (21 January 1963)
"Norwegian Singer Wins Second Audition"
p. 6 *
University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...
(Department of Musicology)
"Knut Skram (1937)"
Norsk Operahistorie.


External links


Biography
on Simax Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Skram, Knut 20th-century Norwegian male opera singers 1937 births Operatic baritones Living people 21st-century Norwegian male opera singers