The Swedish contralto Maria Sanner was already well established as a concert singer when she decided to also include the opera stage in her work field. She furthered her education with a masters degree in opera and already before finishing her studies she made her debut in the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at Folkoperan in Stockholm, in 2012. This was followed by another title role at the Drottningholm Court Theatre: Il Giasone by Cavalli.

Summer -17 Maria sang the part of Orfeo in Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice at Confidencen, Stockholm, conducted and staged by Arnold Östman (revival in summer -18) and in the autumne she made her debut at the Royal Opera of Stockholm, as Elizabetha in Dracula.

In spring -18 she performed at Malmö Opera/Operaverkstan in Var är du Proserpin? as Pluto and she was a soloist with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir at the Stockholm Concert Hall in “Journal” by Vivier.

Recently she also appeared at Folkoperan, Stockholm, in the critically acclaimed “Ligetiland” (in Ligeti’s piece ”Aventures”) and Satyagraha by Philip Glass, in concerts at Poznan Baroque Festival (with the ensemble Kore in music by Händel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Pergolesi) and at Opera Rara in Krakow (with Arte dei Suonatori in J.A Hasse’s serenata Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra).

Within the opera repertoire Maria’s earlier performances include the world premiere of Carl Unander-Scharin’s opera “The Elephant Man” at Norrlandsoperan, a continued collaboration with this composer in the performance ”Sing the body electric” which was performed in Stockholm, Sweden, and in Cape Town, South Africa, (this performance featured interactive, electronic instruments, which the singers controlled with their choreographed body movements.  She also sang the part of Clizia in Ristori’s opera Calandro at the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Germany, Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Dalhalla ,Sweden, and in two productions of newly written operas at the International Vadstena Academy; 2003 in Byrgitta by Carl Unander-Scharin and 2004 in Planet Opus Opera by Staffan Lundén Welden.

Maria has a long experience as a concert singer with an extensive repertoire, stretching from baroque to contemporary music.  She performs on most of Sweden’s major concert stages as well as abroad with conductors such as Eric Ericson, Arnold Östman, Alan Gilbert, Roy Goodman, Josep Pons, Martin Gester, Alexis Kossenko, Olof Boman, Manfred Honeck and Paul Goodwin, and with baroque ensembles such as Arte dei Suonatori (Poland), Rebaroque and Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble (Sweden), and the percussion ensemble Kroumata.

Among the many scholarships Maria has been awarded to enable her studies are the Swedish Arts Grants Comittee (working scholarship for studies of baroque music), the Royal Music Academy (several scholarships including Christina Nilsson), the Drottningholm Court Theater’s Friends Foundation, the Stockholm Freemasons, the Helge Ax:son Johnsson Foundation, the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and several others.