Jenny Carlstedt - Singer - Mezzo-Soprano
Finnish-Swedish mezzo soprano Jenny Carlstedt has earned worldwide acclaim for the”luminous purity and musicality of her singing” (Chicago tribune) and “great musical and dramatic intelligence” (Opera Today). After studies at the Sibelius Academy and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London she joined the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt where she remained until 2017.
During the years at Frankfurt Opera she developed an extensive repertoire and successfully debuted in numerous roles. A special focus was set on Mozart roles, including Sesto and Annio (Clemenza di Tito) Idamante (Idomeneo), Dorabella, Cherubino, Don Ramiro (La Finta Giardinera) and Giacinta (La Finta Semplice). However she has also been praised for her warm timbre and her dramatic versatility in various roles ranging from Octavian, Composer, Melisande, Lazuli (L’etoile), The Muse/Nicklausse (Hoffmann) Wellgunde (Ring – which is available on CD & DVD Oehms classic). Title role Teseo, Erika (Barber’s Vanessa) to The Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen) with directors and conductors such as Christof Nel, Keith Warner, Hans Neuenfels, Christof Loy (three productions including his award winning Cosi fan tutte), Sebastian Weigle, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Christian Curnyn, Jonathan Darlington, Paolo Carignani, Carlo Franci, Bertrand de Billy.
Jenny made her highly acclaimed U.S debut in 2015 as Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande with Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen. Furthermore she sang Idamante at the opening concert of Stuttgart International Festival with Bach-Collegium Stuttgart in autumn 2015. Her most recent CD release with Zemlinsky songs (Ondine 2016) with Lapin Chamber Orchestra under John Storgårds was very well received by the international critics.
Among recent engagements to be mentioned are Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Irina Gyllen in the world premiere of Jää (Ice) by the Finnish composer Jaakko Kuusisto based on the novel by Ulla-Lena Lundberg and Tereza (Waitress) in Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence, all at the Finnish National Opera.
Highlights of 2022/23 have been Jenny’s triumphant debut at ROH Covent Garden, again as Tereza (Waitress) in Innocence and her first Brangäne 2nd act of Tristan und Isolde with the Helsinki Philharmonic under Susanna Mälkki.
In August 2023 Jenny will return to London for the the BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall), as soloist in Mahler 3 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sakari Oramo.