Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz

The Norwegian/Italian soprano, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, completed her studies at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome with John Shirley-Quirk, Peter Pears and, for a number of years, with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. She won the Salzburg “Mozart Wettbewerb” prize and the Spoleto “Sperimentale” prize, and subsequently began her career as an opera and concert singer. In 1993 she was awarded the Grieg Prize by the Grieg Academy in Oslo.

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, is regularly invited to the world’s most important opera houses, festivals and orchestras. She has worked with many distinguished conductors including Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, Gatti, Campanella, Myung-Whun Chung, Bychkov, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Georg Solti, Gergiev, Colin Davis, Mariss Jansons, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt, Seiji Osawa, Riccardo Chailly, Pappano, Kleiber, Lorin Maazel, and Tate.

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz’ distinguished opera career includes many performances in Italy at Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Carlo Felice de Bologna, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, and La Fenice. Elsewhere she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Opéra Bastille, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, La Monnaie, Teatro Real di Madrid, Opéra de Genève, Bayerisches Staatsoper, Vienna Staatsoper and The Norwegian Opera. With La Scala she has toured to Japan in La Bohème under Carlos Kleiber, Falstaff under Riccardo Muti, and Turandot under Lorin Maazel. Her principal roles include Pamina (Chicago, Madrid, Salzburg, Vienna, Bologna), Susanna (Milano, Vienna), Zerlina (Rome, Napoli, Vienna), Asteria Tamerlano (Florence, Halle, London, Paris), Adina (Milano, Rome, Napoli, Vienna), Lucia (Vienna, Spoleto, Oslo), Norina (Munich, Hamburg, Macerata, Napoli), Nannetta (Milano, Salzburg, Vienna, Madrid), Gilda (Vienna, Spoleto, Palermo, Treviso, Oslo), Oscar (Met, Chicago, Vienna, Oslo), Micaëla (Bastille, Rome, Oslo), Liù (Covent Garden, Athens, Bologna), Mimì (Glyndebourne, Oslo), Musetta (Florence, Vienna), Adele Die Fledermaus (Met), Gretel (Chicago), Constance Dialogues des Carmélites (Milano), Manon ( Vienna ).

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz’ festival appearances include the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro where she has sung Corinna Viaggio a Riems, Anais Moise, Jemmy Guilielomo Tell and Giulia La scala di seta, Salzburg, Montreux, Spoleto, Macerata, the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, and the Händel Festival in Halle.

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz’ many concert appearances include the Berlin Philharmonic (Robert Schumann Requiem für Mignon and Johannes Brahms Requiem with Claudio Abbado), Vienna Philharmonic (W.A. Mozart‘s Mass in C minor with Georg Solti, J. Brahms Requiem with Claudio Abbado), Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala (W.A. Mozart‘s Requiem with Riccardo Muti, and with Gergiev), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 4 and Der Wein with Tate), Dresden Staatskapelle (L.v. Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Strauss Lieder and W.A. Mozart‘s Requiem all with Giuseppe Sinopoli), Munich Philharmonic (Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Salve Regina with Claudio Abbado and Lily Boulanger Clarières dans le Ciel with Marcello Viotti), Bayersicher Rundfunk (G. Mahler 8° with Sir Colin Davis), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (G. Mahler Symphony No. 4 with Giuseppe Sinopoli, opera recital with Mariss Jansons), Bergen Philharmonic (G. Mahler Symphony No. 4 , Alban Berg Sieben Furhe Lieder, De Falla Atlantide, J. Brahms Requiem with Ceccato), New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Debussy Le Martyr de Saint Sebastien with Kurt Masur), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Haydn Creation with Georg Solti), San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (J. Brahms Requiem with Herbert Blomstedt), Boston Symphony Orchestra (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges with Seiji Osawa), Orchestre de Paris (G. Mahler 2° and L.v. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Bychkow).

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz has recorded for Philips, Decca, EMI, Ricordi and BMG including W.A. Mozart‘s Mass in C minor, Nannetta Falstaff with Georg Solti, J. Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with Herbert Blomstedt that got the Grammy Award, Marzelline Fidelio and G. Mahler 8° with Sir Colin Davis, Tebaldo Don Carlos with Bernard Haitink and Asteria Tamerlano with Trevor Pinnock. She has also recorded a recital disc of songs by Grieg with the pianist Håvard Gims which received the Grieg Award.

Some of Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz’s most important engagements for the 1997 season included Moïse et Pharaon and Il Viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Opera Festival, Der Rosenkavalier in Geneva, Die Fledermaus at the Met in New York, W.A. Mozart‘s Requiem in Dresden with Giuseppe Sinopoli, Les Illuminations by Benjamin Britten in Oslo, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt by Schumann at the Montreux Festival, L.v. Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony at the Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, repeated in Bonn at the Beethoven Festspiele in 2000.

In the 2000 season she performed the Petite Messe Solennel at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Les Clarières dans le ciel by Lili Boulanger in Munich with the Bayerische Rundfunk, Les Dialogues des carmélites with Riccardo Muti at the Teatro alla Scala and La scala di seta by Rossini at the Rossini Opera Festival.

The following year (2001) she performed in New York, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Comunale in Bologna and she made her debut at the Teatro Regio in Turin with the Passion according to St. John (BWV 245) by J.S. Bach and Il Tamerlano by George Frideric Handel at the Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, repeated also in Halle. She also interpreted L’Osteria di marechiaro by Paisiello at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Hänsel und Gretel.

In 2002 Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz sang in Falstaff at the Teatro Reàl in Madrid, in I Capuleti and i Montecchi at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, in Don Giovanni at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, in La Bohème at the Opera in Oslo and in G. Mahler‘s Eighth Symphony at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome conducted by Myung-Whun Chung.

Recent and future engagements include Atalanta Xerses at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées under William Christie, Elena in Cappello di Paglia di Firenze in Torino, Gilda in Bologna with Gatti, Adina in Cagliari and Norina in Oslo.