Opera on the Move in the Nordic Countries during the Long 19th ...

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Formed to Perform
Educating Students at the <strong>Opera</strong> School in Stockholm 1773–1850
Marianne Tråvén
Founding a school for singers and actors
In 1773 Stockholm was given what would be a permanent opera situated at
Bollhuset. It was a bold undertaking spurred by King Gustav III’s cultural
and political ambitions. However, the question of recruiting and educating
singers for the opera company became a topic of central concern. How could
first-rate singers and actors be attracted, and how could a steady supply of
singers be secured for the chorus? At the time Stockholm had no school for
either actors or singers. 1 As in the rest of Europe, most of the musicians
and singers came from artisan families, and they were often schooled by
their families or apprenticed to a singing master or an actor for their stud-
1 There were private teachers, such as Giovanni Croce, an Italian tenor who was part
of a Bologna company that played in Stockholm between 1754 and 1757. When the
company dissolved, Croce was hired as a court singer in Stockholm. (Nyblom 1923,
p. 80)