Malena Ernman

Sara Magdalena Ernman (born 4 November 1970), known professionally as Malena Ernman, is a Swedish mezzo-soprano opera singer. Besides operas and operettas, she has also performed chansons, cabaret, jazz, and appeared in musicals. She is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Ernman represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "La Voix", finishing in 21st place.

Ernman was born in Uppsala, Sweden, and spent her childhood and school years in Sandviken. She was educated at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the Music Conservatory in Orléans, France, and the school of the Royal Swedish Opera.

In 1997, Ernman sang in the premiere of Ivar Hallström's 1897 opera Liten Karin in Vadstena; Opera magazine noted that "the mezzo Malena Ernman was very expressive as Princess Cecilia, King Erik XIV's sister". In 1998, her Rosina in The Barber of Seville at the Royal Opera in Stockholm was described as "displaying impressive technique" and "shaping the character with mocking good humour". The same year, she sang Kaja in the premiere of Sven-David Sandström's Staden under Leif Segerstam also at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, where one reviewer commented that "in vocal focus and expression, her full, rich voice is not that far behind Bartoli". In July 1999, Ernman sang the trouser role of Ziöberg in the premiere of Jonas Forssell's Trädgården (The Garden) at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Stockholm, conducted by Roy Goodman, the first new opera to be premiered at the theatre in modern times.

In Brussels in 2000, her Nerone in Handel's Agrippina, alongside Rosemary Joshua's Poppea and Anna Caterina Antonacci's Aggripina was described as "the most convincingly brattish young man imaginable".

In 2001, Ernman sang Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Drottningholm Festival. She sang at the Glyndebourne Festival, in the Summer of 2002 as Nancy in Albert Herring and the next summer as Prince Orlovsky in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, which was also performed at the BBC Proms that year.

In 2002/2003 Ernman appeared in Vienna as Diana in La Calisto. In 2003/2004 she sang the part of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at La Monnaie in Brussels and appeared at the Aix-en-Provence Festival as Lichas in Hercules by George Frideric Handel, with Les Arts Florissants under conductor William Christie, revived at the Paris Opera and at the Vienna Festival.

In the spring and summer of 2005, Ernman created the title role in Philippe Boesmans's Julie, appearing at la Monnaie, at the Vienna Festival, and in Aix-en-Provence. In 2006 she sang as Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea in Brussels and Berlin, then as Dido in Dido and Aeneas with William Christie at the Vienna Festival.

Early recitals on Swedish Radio included Rachmaninov in 1994, The airconditioned nightmare by Olov Olofsson, songs by Gunnar de Frumerie, and an eclectic mix of Fauré, Debussy, Jolivet, Ravel, Bizet, Barber, Ives and Lehrer in 1996, Brahms lieder, and works by Carlid, Mahler and Berio in 1998.

Ernman has performed several concert pieces as well. At the Salzburg Festival she sang Mozart's "Waisenhausmesse" with conductor Frans Brüggen. She performed Berio's "Folksongs" with the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Carlo Rizzi, and at the Verbier Festival with Gustavo Dudamel. She sang the world premiere of "Nachtgesänge" by Fabian Müller with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. In Minneapolis she sang Mozart's "Requiem" with Arnold Östman.

On 28 November 2008, it was announced that Ernman would enter Melodifestivalen 2009 for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "La voix," written by Fredrik Kempe. On 28 February 2009, Ernman competed in the 4th semi-final of Melodifestivalen in Malmö and became a finalist. She went on to win the final on 14 March at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, and to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. She qualified as a finalist on 12 May and performed in the finals on 16 May, where she finished 21st with 33 points. "La voix" was the first Swedish entry to contain a substantial amount of French lyrics; it was written by Ernman herself, who speaks French fluently. Prior to the competition a documentary about the life and career of Ernman was broadcast on Swedish television entitled 'Rösternas Malena' ('The voice of Malena').

Ernman revealed that the dress for her Eurovision performance cost 400,000 kronor (€37,471) and was made by designer Camilla Thulin. Singer Dea Norberg joined Ernman as one of the choirgirls. Ernman later participated in the Second Chance round of Melodifestivalen 2015 as a guest singer for Behrang Miri's entry.

Ernman is married to actor Svante Thunberg, with whom she had appeared in a 2000 Swedish television musical documentary about the composer Joseph Martin Kraus, played by Thunberg.

Their first daughter, activist Greta Thunberg, rose to worldwide prominence when she initiated the School Strike for Climate. Their second daughter, singer Beata Andersson (formerly Ernman-Thunberg), is 3 years younger than Greta. Ernman's career was taking off when Greta was born, and Svante stayed at home to look after their daughters.

2010: appointed Hovsångerska (lit. "[royal] court singer") by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

2017: WWF-Sweden "Environmental Hero of the Year"

Strauss: Die Fledermaus with Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Lyubov Petrova, Håkan Hagegård, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski. Filmed at Glyndebourne 2003 (Opus Arte) – Prince Orlovsky.

Handel: Hercules with William Shimell, Joyce DiDonato, Toby Spence, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie. Filmed at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2004 (Bel Air Classiques) – Lichas.

Boesmans: Julie with Gary Magee, Kerstin Avemo, the Chamber Orchestra of la Monnaie, Kazushi Ono. Aix-en Provence 2005 (Bel Air Classiques) – title role.

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas with Christopher Maltman, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (conductor). Filmed at the Paris Opéra Comique 2008 (FRA) – Dido.

Handel: Rodelinda with Danielle de Niese, Bejun Mehta, Kurt Streit, Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Filmed at the Theater an der Wien, 2011 (Belvedere) – Eduige.