Kerstin Meyer

Swedish opera singer (1928–2020)
the Danish physicist

Kerstin Margareta Meyer, CBE (3 April 1928 – 14 April 2020) was a Swedish mezzo soprano who enjoyed an international career in opera and concert. A long time member of the Royal Swedish Opera and Hamburg State Opera, she appeared regularly at the Royal Opera House in London and international opera houses and festivals, including in world premieres such as Alexander Goehr's Arden Must Die and György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre.

Meyer was born in Stockholm. Her father played the trumpet and toured with his father's orchestra around Europe, and later settled to making violins in his own shop. She studied with Adelaide von Skilondz, at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and in Siena, having won the Christine Nilsson Scholarship for studies in Salzburg and Italy, During the early 1950s, along with Busk Margit Jonsson and Daisy Schörling she formed the three woman vocal group the 'Melody Girls', which made several recordings.

Her debut was at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1952 as Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore, with Set Svanholm, 34 years her senior, playing her son Manrico, followed soon by the title role of Bizet's Carmen, This was a breakthrough as she was noticed by Wieland Wagner who engaged her for his Carmen production and brought her invitations from around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera. and Geschwitz in Alban Berg's Lulu in 1977. Meyer often appeared in duet concerts with soprano Elisabeth Söderström. She appeared as Iocasta in Stravinsky's Oedipus rex conducted by Georg Solti in the Royal Festival Hall in London, and subsequently recorded the role for Decca. She also gave a recital of songs from Sweden, Spain and France, and German lieder by Gustav Mahler and Hugo Wolf at the Theatre Royal as part of the Wexford Festival Opera in 1977. She took part in the Swedish entry for the Prix Italia in 1981, Jan W. Morthenson's Trauma, a "meta opera for radio", with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Okko Kamu. Meyer sang the role of Buttercup in a production of H. M. S. Pinafore in 1980 at the Oscarsteatern in Stockholm. Her final appearance on stage was as Madame Armfeldt in a 2013 production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at the Malmö Opera. She served as the rector of University College of Opera, Stockholm, from 1984 to 1994.