Carolina Östberg

Who was Carolina Östberg?

Carolina Östberg was a Swedish opera singer and singing teacher. She was one of the most popular stars of her time in Sweden, and was internationally known.

Östberg, the daughter of a barber-surgeon, displayed a natural musical talent at an early age. She was a student at Dramatens elevskola from 1869 to 1873 and a student of Signe Hebbe. She was active as a concert singer before she debuted at Stora Teatern at the 1873–74 season with Louise Pyk. Both Östbeg and Pyk made a huge success. She was given a contract after her part as Carlo Broschi in "Hälften var", a part which was to be her most popular.

When she retired after her marriage in 1877, it was seen as a great loss, as she had managed to become one of her country's most noted singers. When she was unexpectedly launched in the lead role of "Boccaccio" in Nya Teatern in 1879, "The applause never seemed to stop", and the press demanded that she be given a position at the Royal Swedish Opera. She performed in Copenhagen, Germany, Norway, and Nya Teatern in Stockholm under the name Mrs Östberg.

In 1886, Östberg was employed at the Royal Swedish Opera, which was seen as the triumph of the audience over the operatic management; "The Public had had its will" over the opera, after having demanded that she be employed there for years. She stayed there for her remaining career, except for a tour in USA in 1892–94. She was compared to Louise Michaeli. She was given Litteris et Artibus in 1891, and again, with brilliants, in 1900, and was in 1897 inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In 1905, she made nine recordings on gramophone. She retired in 1906 and was later active as a singing teacher.