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The Swedish soprano, Susanne Rydén, gained her musical education at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland and with Jessica Cash in London.
The expressions from critics and audience are overwhelming around the world. Susanne Rydén has become Sweden's most renowned singer specialising in early and classical music, and she now belongs to Europe's renowned singers specializing in early music. She regularly performs with internationally acclaimed ensembles and conductors, such as Nicholas McGegan, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Concerto Copenhagen, Cantus Cölln, Concerto Palatino, Academy of Ancient Music (Director: Christopher Hogwood), Bach Collegium Japan (Director: Masaaki Suzuki), Lautten Compagney Berlin, The Bach Ensemble (Director: Joshua Rifkin), Gustav Leonhardt, Roy Goodman, London Baroque, Andrew Parrott, Weser Renaissance (Director: Manfred Cordes), and others. She is a frequent guest at the major European music festivals and concert venues and has also toured Australia, the USA, Japan, Russia and South Africa. In early 1997 she started the ensemble Stockholm Baroque Soloists (SBS) together with some other experienced Swedish singers specialising in early music.
Susanne Rydén is much in demand as a soloist all over Europe and has appeared at several of the more important European music festivals, including the BBC Proms and the Lufthansa Festival in London. In 1996 among other things she took part in a worldwide tour with the European Union Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Roy Goodman. 1997 included concerts at the Perth Festival in Australia as well as performances of J.S. Bach's Wedding cantatas with the Academy of Ancient Music in Italy. Also in 1997 a very well received recording together with the Swedish trumpet player Niklas Eklund appeared, followed by several concerts. During 1998 she performed at the Tage Alte Musik in Regensburg together with Lars Ulrik Mortensen and Concerto Copenhagen as well as she was much involved in performances of Orazio Vecchi's L'Amfiparnaso together with Stockholm Baroque Soloists, as a part of "Stockholm 1998 Culture Capital of Europe". At the Norrlandsoperan in north of Sweden she sang Angelica in George Frideric Handel’s Orlando, conducted by Roy Goodman.
Since her operatic debut in 1991, Susanne Rydén has sung many roles, such as Poppea (Incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi) and Dido (Dido and Aeneas by Purcell). In the summer of 1995 she made her debut at the Drottningholm Court Theatre in Soler's Una Cosa Rara (conducted by Nicholas McGegan). She has appeared at various European opera houses and festivals in roles such as Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Titania (Fairy Queen) by Purcell, Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea) by Monteverdi, Euridice (Orpheo e Euridice) by Gluck, Angelica (Orlando), Galathea (Acis and Galathea), Meleagro (Atalanta) by G.F. Handel, Amahl (Amahl and the nightly visitors) by Menotti, etc.
During 1999 Susanne Rydén has given a.o. three concerts at Drottningholm Court Theatre with the counter-tenor Mikael Bellini and Roy Goodman). She visited USA for concerts in New York and Boston with the New York Collegium and Gustav Leonhardt. During the summer and autumn she performed Dido (Purcell) in St. Gallen, Schwitzerland, and a rich number of concerts in Sweden and abroad.
Highlights from the past concert seasons include J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Nicholas McGegan in San Francisco, St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) with the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, G.F. Handel with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Harry Bicket in Stockholm, J.S. Bach’s St Mark Passion (BWV 247) with Academy of Ancient Music at the Easter Festival in Luzern, J.S. Bach's Cantatas as well as the Messiah with Bach Collegium Japan.
In 2004 Susanne Rydén sang the soprano part in the opera Song of Songs, written especially for her by the Swedish Composer Hans Ola Ericson. She also created the large Christina's Journey project, a staged performance about the life of the Swedish queen Christina, which has toured Europe since the spring of 2004. The production received various prices, among others an honorary award for Rydén’s work within the early music field by the Swedish Early Music Society, and was broadcasted by the Swedish television.
Susanne Rydén's interest in chamber music and the song repertoire has led to the development of several innovative projects. Together with Mark Tatlow (fortepiano) she explores the song repertoire and they made their first recording with songs by Haydn in January 2007. Trio Veracini (John Holloway, Lars Ulrik Mortensen and Jaap ter Linden) as well as Bell'arte Salzburg (Director: Annegret Siedel) are other regular chamber music partners.
Susanne Rydén is also a keen explorer of chamber music and the song repertoire - from the early Renaissance to contemporary composers. Recital programmes include French Baroque as well as lieder by W.A. Mozart, Haydn and Robert Schumann, accompanied on the fortepiano. She takes a particular interest in the Swedish musical heritage and her interpretation of music by composers such as J.H. Roman (''the Father of Swedish music'') and J.M. Kraus has been widely appreciated.
Susanne Rydén has made numerous CD's for labels such as Harmonia Mundi, BIS, Avie, Caprice, and CPO Germany - several of them award-winning. She has also made numerous radio recordings besides appearing on television.
Future plans include concerts together with Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Concerto Copenhagen, duo-recordings together with Emma Kirkby, Schubert with Concerto Köln and the Regensburger Domspatzen. In June 2007 she can be heard as Titain Fairy Queen in Schloss Herrenhausen, Hannover as well as La Musica in Monteverdi's Orfeo at Drottningholm Court Theatre in Stockholm. In 2008 she will be singing Dorinda in G.F. Handel’s opera Orlando in Göttingen and in 2009 she is engaged for a tour of Japan as Galathea in G.F. Handel’s opera Acis and Galathea . In the fall of 2008 she will tour Australia with the Brandenburg Baroque Orchestra, singing W.A. Mozart Concert Arias.
Susanne Rydén is also active as a teacher, both in Sweden and abroad. She was head teacher in Baroque singing at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and also taught at the Scandinavian Bach Academy in Örebro. She now teaches at various festivals around the globe. Since May 2007 she is a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Music, and since 2005 member of the artistic council of the Vadstena Academy. Among the singers who have studied with her and/or
attended her master-classes: Tiago Amado Gomes (Baritone), Christina Larsson Malmberg (Soprano), Johanna Neß (Soprano), Sofia Niklasson (Soprano), Magdalena Podkościelna (Soprano), Doris Steffan-Wagner (Soprano), Anna Zander (Mezzo-soprano).*** |
