Björling, Sigurd

views updated

Björling, Sigurd

Björling, Sigurd, Swedish baritone; b. Stockholm, Nov. 2, 1907; d. Helsingborg, April 8, 1983. He was a student of Louis Condé (1928–30), then of Torsten Lennartson at the Cons. (1933–34) and the Royal Opera School (1934–36) in Stockholm. In 1934 he made his operatic debut as Billy Jackrabbit in La Fanciulla del West in Stockholm, where he continued to sing regularly until 1973. He also made guest appearances in various European opera centers. In 1950 he made his U.S. debut as Kurwenal with the San Francisco Opera. In 1951 he appeared at London’s Covent Garden as Amfortas. On Nov. 15, 1952, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Telramund, singing there until 1953.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire