Participants - On stage
Lizzy: Jessica Elevant, soprano
Jessica Elevant completed her studies at the University of the Arts, Stockholm, in the spring of 2021. Since then, she has performed roles such as Gun in Daniel Nelson's "Sova Vaken" at the Royal Opera in the fall of 2022, Jackie in von Dardel's "PMSius" with Kamraterna in the summer of 2023, the Mother in Niklas Brommare's "Var Är Smörgåsen?" at the Royal Opera in the spring of 2023, and Adina in Gaetano Donizetti's "L’elisir d’amore" at Dala-Floda Opera Festival in the summer of 2023. This marks Jessica Elevant's debut at Norrlandsoperan.
"Pride and Prejudice is a novel I grew up with, and I watch the BBC series about once a year. Lizzy was always the character I identified with the most, and it feels fantastic to portray her in this opera." – Jessica Elevant
Mr Darcy: David Risberg, baritone
Baritone David Risberg graduated in the spring of 2021 from the University of the Arts at Stockholm. He has previously played roles such as Demetrius in Benjamin Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 2023, Marcello in "La Boheme" at Malmö Opera in 2022, and makes his debut at Norrlandsoperan as Mr Darcy.
"I would say that Mr Darcy has some traits that many men can recognize, where one of the more prominent ones is the inability to express oneself clearly when it comes to deep feelings." – David Risberg
Mrs Bennet: Susanna Levonen, mezzo-soprano
Susanna Levonen is a permanent member of Norrlandsoperan and is praised for her strong role portraits. She has been nominated for "Singer of the Year" by Opernwelt for her role as Sieglinde in Wermland Opera's "Wagner Ring." On Norrlandsoperan, she has sung roles like Marie in "Wozzeck," the title role Lady Macbeth in Verdi's opera "Carmen," Eboli in "Don Carlo," Chrysothemis in "Elektra," and Marie Curie in "Blanche and Marie." Mrs Bennett is portrayed by Susanna Levonen as a fun and strong character in the opera.
"Mrs Bennett is a fantastic role to portray and easy to relate to as a mother. However, I hope I am a better support for my son's own dreams, haha! A fun and strong character to play and the engine in the opera." – Susanna Levonen
Mr Bennet: Anders Lundström, bass-baritone
Anders Lundström is Norrlandsoperan's choir conductor and has previously played roles such as Bengt Lidner in "Poet and Prophetess," Samson in "Samson & Delilah" at Folkoperan, Don Carlos in Verdi's "Don Carlos" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and Radames in "Aida" at GöteborgsOperan. Here at Norrlandsoperan, he has appeared in roles like Spalanzani in "Hoffman's Adventure" and Gastone in "La Traviata." In the opera "Pride and Prejudice," Anders Lundström portrays Mr Bennet, who lives in a somewhat stagnant marriage and is skeptical of changes.
"Mr Bennet, who lives in a somewhat stagnant marriage with a wife who does everything she can to get their daughters married to secure their future. All this depends on "entail rules." He is by no means driving but, on the contrary, very skeptical of all changes and unenterprising in the project of his daughters' future. He wants things to stay as they always have been!" – Anders Lundström
Jane: Amanda Liljefors, soprano
Amanda Liljefors studied at the Royal College of Music (bachelor's degree in 2018) and the University of the Arts, Stockholm, where she completed her studies in the spring of 2021. She has previously played roles such as Mimì in Puccini's "La Bohème," Mariane in Mechem's "Tartuffe" at Norrlandsoperan in the spring of 2022, Mikaëla in Bizet's "Carmen," and Eurydice in Gluck's "Orfeus and Eurydice."
"I strongly feel for Jane in her difficult situation. Many can probably recognize the conflict that arises within oneself when one wants to do what is right for others and what is right for oneself. In the end, the two coincide for Jane, to everyone's great joy and happiness." – Amanda Liljefors
Mr Bingley: Clifford Lewis, tenor
Clifford Lewis played Josef in the world premiere of Mats Larsson Gothe/Susanna Marko's opera "Löftet" at the Royal Opera. He also played Harry in Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West" at the Royal Opera, Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme" at Dala-Floda Opera Festival, and Tom in the world premiere of Daniel Nelson's opera "Andefabriken" at Vadstena Akademien. Clifford Lewis was last seen at Norrlandsoperan during the Christmas concert in 2023.
"Mr Bingley means well for everyone. He is hindered by the expectations of the time about what it means to be a wealthy bachelor. He has met many young women who could be suitable for marriage, but it has never been the right one until he meets Jane, who opens up a completely new wonderful world." – Clifford Lewis
Lydia: Ingrid Berg, soprano
Soprano Ingrid Berg has previously played roles such as Elizabeth in the Swedish premiere of Philip Glass's dance opera "Les enfants terribles" with Kamraterna at Tribunalen in 2022, and she appeared as Ilia in a production based on W.A. Mozart's opera "Idomeneo" and R. Schimmelpfennig's play "Idomeneus" at Folkoperan in 2021. She played the role of Eurydice in Telemann's opera "Orpheus" at Vadstena Akademien in 2019.
"I am the youngest among three sisters myself and can relate to and empathize with Lydia's role as the younger sister in the Bennet family. Lydia is tired of waiting for her turn in the shadow of her sisters, who never seem to get married. Now that it is finally her turn to debut in society, she will certainly show that she is just as worldly as her sisters." – Ingrid Berg Tenor
Mr Wickham: Fabian Düberg, tenor
Fabian Düberg has played roles such as Mats in "Kronbruden" at Malmö Opera, Monostatos in "The Magic Flute" at the Royal Opera, and Tanzmeister in "Ariadne auf Naxos" at Schlosstheater. He has performed on stages such as Hamburgische Staatsoper and Salzburger Festspiele. This marks Fabian Düberg's fourth appearance at Norrlandsoperan. He debuted in the house as Armanio and Carlo VII in 'Love and Politics' in the fall of 2020 and has since played Malcolm, King Duncan's son, in 'Macbeth' in the fall of 2021, and Cochenille, Pitichinachio & Nathanael in 'Hoffmann's Adventure' in 2022.
"Mr Wickham is a character I would find it hard to deal with in real life. He has been emotionally rendered incompetent by the patriarchy and is therefore a burden to himself and others." – Fabian Düberg
Charlotte: Amie Foon, mezzo-soprano
Amie Foon is a full-time singer at Norrlandsoperan and was recently awarded the Drottningholm Theatre Friends' major opera scholarship for 2023. At Norrlandsoperan, she has sung roles such as Rambo in John Adams's "The Death of Klinghoffer" in 2023, La Muse/Niclausse in "Hoffmann's Adventure" in 2022, and Sofia Gubaidulina's song cycle "Galgenlieder." Her repertoire ranges from Monteverdi's Ottavia in "L’Incoronazione di Poppea" and Mozart roles like Cherubino in "Le Nozze di Figaro" and Annio in "La Clemenza di Tito" to Bizet's Carmen and Britten's Lucretia.
"I really sympathize with Charlotte; she doesn't have it easy. She doesn't have the same confidence in believing in herself and her worth as the Bennett sisters do, and for that, I feel sorry for her." – Amie Foon
Mr Collins: Martin Lissel, bass-baritone
Martin Lissel is a lyrical baritone and composer trained at, among other places, the University of the Arts in Stockholm and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. He has played roles such as Mohammed in "PMSIUS" by Corinne von Dardel. Martin Lissel is a familiar face in Umeå, where he played Damis in "Tartuffe" at Norrlandsoperan in 2022, Papageno in "The Magic Flute" with Suitcase Opera in 2022, and Hamlet with Suitcase Opera/Norrlandsoperan in 2023.
"Mr. Collins can, at first glance, seem a bit sly and malicious, but is probably most socially incapable, someone who has his foot in his mouth. He does his best to fulfill a role that others expect of him and does what he believes is right in that regard." – Martin Lissel
If you have any more specific questions or if there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask!
Jessica Elevant completed her studies at the University of the Arts, Stockholm, in the spring of 2021. Since then, she has performed roles such as Gun in Daniel Nelson's "Sova Vaken" at the Royal Opera in the fall of 2022, Jackie in von Dardel's "PMSius" with Kamraterna in the summer of 2023, the Mother in Niklas Brommare's "Var Är Smörgåsen?" at the Royal Opera in the spring of 2023, and Adina in Gaetano Donizetti's "L’elisir d’amore" at Dala-Floda Opera Festival in the summer of 2023. This marks Jessica Elevant's debut at Norrlandsoperan.
"Pride and Prejudice is a novel I grew up with, and I watch the BBC series about once a year. Lizzy was always the character I identified with the most, and it feels fantastic to portray her in this opera." – Jessica Elevant
Mr Darcy: David Risberg, baritone
Baritone David Risberg graduated in the spring of 2021 from the University of the Arts at Stockholm. He has previously played roles such as Demetrius in Benjamin Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 2023, Marcello in "La Boheme" at Malmö Opera in 2022, and makes his debut at Norrlandsoperan as Mr Darcy.
"I would say that Mr Darcy has some traits that many men can recognize, where one of the more prominent ones is the inability to express oneself clearly when it comes to deep feelings." – David Risberg
Mrs Bennet: Susanna Levonen, mezzo-soprano
Susanna Levonen is a permanent member of Norrlandsoperan and is praised for her strong role portraits. She has been nominated for "Singer of the Year" by Opernwelt for her role as Sieglinde in Wermland Opera's "Wagner Ring." On Norrlandsoperan, she has sung roles like Marie in "Wozzeck," the title role Lady Macbeth in Verdi's opera "Carmen," Eboli in "Don Carlo," Chrysothemis in "Elektra," and Marie Curie in "Blanche and Marie." Mrs Bennett is portrayed by Susanna Levonen as a fun and strong character in the opera.
"Mrs Bennett is a fantastic role to portray and easy to relate to as a mother. However, I hope I am a better support for my son's own dreams, haha! A fun and strong character to play and the engine in the opera." – Susanna Levonen
Mr Bennet: Anders Lundström, bass-baritone
Anders Lundström is Norrlandsoperan's choir conductor and has previously played roles such as Bengt Lidner in "Poet and Prophetess," Samson in "Samson & Delilah" at Folkoperan, Don Carlos in Verdi's "Don Carlos" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and Radames in "Aida" at GöteborgsOperan. Here at Norrlandsoperan, he has appeared in roles like Spalanzani in "Hoffman's Adventure" and Gastone in "La Traviata." In the opera "Pride and Prejudice," Anders Lundström portrays Mr Bennet, who lives in a somewhat stagnant marriage and is skeptical of changes.
"Mr Bennet, who lives in a somewhat stagnant marriage with a wife who does everything she can to get their daughters married to secure their future. All this depends on "entail rules." He is by no means driving but, on the contrary, very skeptical of all changes and unenterprising in the project of his daughters' future. He wants things to stay as they always have been!" – Anders Lundström
Jane: Amanda Liljefors, soprano
Amanda Liljefors studied at the Royal College of Music (bachelor's degree in 2018) and the University of the Arts, Stockholm, where she completed her studies in the spring of 2021. She has previously played roles such as Mimì in Puccini's "La Bohème," Mariane in Mechem's "Tartuffe" at Norrlandsoperan in the spring of 2022, Mikaëla in Bizet's "Carmen," and Eurydice in Gluck's "Orfeus and Eurydice."
"I strongly feel for Jane in her difficult situation. Many can probably recognize the conflict that arises within oneself when one wants to do what is right for others and what is right for oneself. In the end, the two coincide for Jane, to everyone's great joy and happiness." – Amanda Liljefors
Mr Bingley: Clifford Lewis, tenor
Clifford Lewis played Josef in the world premiere of Mats Larsson Gothe/Susanna Marko's opera "Löftet" at the Royal Opera. He also played Harry in Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West" at the Royal Opera, Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme" at Dala-Floda Opera Festival, and Tom in the world premiere of Daniel Nelson's opera "Andefabriken" at Vadstena Akademien. Clifford Lewis was last seen at Norrlandsoperan during the Christmas concert in 2023.
"Mr Bingley means well for everyone. He is hindered by the expectations of the time about what it means to be a wealthy bachelor. He has met many young women who could be suitable for marriage, but it has never been the right one until he meets Jane, who opens up a completely new wonderful world." – Clifford Lewis
Lydia: Ingrid Berg, soprano
Soprano Ingrid Berg has previously played roles such as Elizabeth in the Swedish premiere of Philip Glass's dance opera "Les enfants terribles" with Kamraterna at Tribunalen in 2022, and she appeared as Ilia in a production based on W.A. Mozart's opera "Idomeneo" and R. Schimmelpfennig's play "Idomeneus" at Folkoperan in 2021. She played the role of Eurydice in Telemann's opera "Orpheus" at Vadstena Akademien in 2019.
"I am the youngest among three sisters myself and can relate to and empathize with Lydia's role as the younger sister in the Bennet family. Lydia is tired of waiting for her turn in the shadow of her sisters, who never seem to get married. Now that it is finally her turn to debut in society, she will certainly show that she is just as worldly as her sisters." – Ingrid Berg Tenor
Mr Wickham: Fabian Düberg, tenor
Fabian Düberg has played roles such as Mats in "Kronbruden" at Malmö Opera, Monostatos in "The Magic Flute" at the Royal Opera, and Tanzmeister in "Ariadne auf Naxos" at Schlosstheater. He has performed on stages such as Hamburgische Staatsoper and Salzburger Festspiele. This marks Fabian Düberg's fourth appearance at Norrlandsoperan. He debuted in the house as Armanio and Carlo VII in 'Love and Politics' in the fall of 2020 and has since played Malcolm, King Duncan's son, in 'Macbeth' in the fall of 2021, and Cochenille, Pitichinachio & Nathanael in 'Hoffmann's Adventure' in 2022.
"Mr Wickham is a character I would find it hard to deal with in real life. He has been emotionally rendered incompetent by the patriarchy and is therefore a burden to himself and others." – Fabian Düberg
Charlotte: Amie Foon, mezzo-soprano
Amie Foon is a full-time singer at Norrlandsoperan and was recently awarded the Drottningholm Theatre Friends' major opera scholarship for 2023. At Norrlandsoperan, she has sung roles such as Rambo in John Adams's "The Death of Klinghoffer" in 2023, La Muse/Niclausse in "Hoffmann's Adventure" in 2022, and Sofia Gubaidulina's song cycle "Galgenlieder." Her repertoire ranges from Monteverdi's Ottavia in "L’Incoronazione di Poppea" and Mozart roles like Cherubino in "Le Nozze di Figaro" and Annio in "La Clemenza di Tito" to Bizet's Carmen and Britten's Lucretia.
"I really sympathize with Charlotte; she doesn't have it easy. She doesn't have the same confidence in believing in herself and her worth as the Bennett sisters do, and for that, I feel sorry for her." – Amie Foon
Mr Collins: Martin Lissel, bass-baritone
Martin Lissel is a lyrical baritone and composer trained at, among other places, the University of the Arts in Stockholm and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. He has played roles such as Mohammed in "PMSIUS" by Corinne von Dardel. Martin Lissel is a familiar face in Umeå, where he played Damis in "Tartuffe" at Norrlandsoperan in 2022, Papageno in "The Magic Flute" with Suitcase Opera in 2022, and Hamlet with Suitcase Opera/Norrlandsoperan in 2023.
"Mr. Collins can, at first glance, seem a bit sly and malicious, but is probably most socially incapable, someone who has his foot in his mouth. He does his best to fulfill a role that others expect of him and does what he believes is right in that regard." – Martin Lissel
If you have any more specific questions or if there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask!