Kerstin Meyer's father played the trumpet and toured with his father's orchestra around Europe, and later settled to making violins in his own shop.
21 Facts About Kerstin Meyer
1.
2.
Kerstin Meyer graduated from the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, in 1948 and was a student at the Opera School from 1950 to 1952.
3.
Kerstin Meyer studied with Adelaide von Skilondz, at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and in Siena, having won the Christine Nilsson Scholarship for studies in Salzburg and Italy, in Rome, and Vienna.
4.
Kerstin Meyer appeared in several Swedish premieres, including as Didon in Les Troyens by Berlioz in 1958, Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress in 1961 in a production staged by Ingmar Bergman, and Geschwitz in Alban Berg's Lulu in 1977.
5.
Kerstin Meyer took part in both visits of the Royal Opera Stockholm to the Edinburgh Festival.
6.
Kerstin Meyer was a member of the ensemble of the Hamburg State Opera from 1958 to 1960 and 1964 to 1969.
7.
Kerstin Meyer sang Dorabella opposite Elisabeth Soderstrom as Fiordiligi there.
8.
In 1960, Kerstin Meyer made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London as Didon in Les Troyens, alongside Jon Vickers and Josephine Veasey, and the same year as Ulrica and as Bradamante in Alcina during a short residency by the Stockholm company.
9.
Kerstin Meyer's career included regular visits to other major opera houses of Europe and the US and a number of concert tours to Australia, the Far East, and the Americas.
10.
Kerstin Meyer appeared in the title role of Gottfried von Einem's Der Besuch der alten Dame at Glyndebourne in the British premiere in 1974, and in the German premiere at the Bavarian State Opera in 1975.
11.
Kerstin Meyer often appeared in duet concerts with soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom.
12.
Kerstin Meyer gave a recital with pianist Geoffrey Parsons at the 1976 Aldeburgh Festival.
13.
Kerstin Meyer was the mezzo soloist in a performance of Mahler's third symphony with the Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli in 1969, which was later issued on a BBC Legends CD which featured a performance of Elgar's Sea Pictures in what was Barbirolli's last recorded concert, at King's Lynn in 1970.
14.
Kerstin Meyer 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.
15.
Kerstin Meyer 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.
16.
Kerstin Meyer 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.
17.
Kerstin Meyer served as the rector of University College of Opera, Stockholm, from 1984 to 1994.
18.
Kerstin Meyer was married to Bjorn Bexelius, a ballet critic and arts administrator who died in 1997.
19.
Kerstin Meyer was awarded the Illis quorum in 1994 and an honorary CBE in 1995.
20.
Kerstin Meyer died on 14 April 2020, eleven days after her 92nd birthday.
21.
Kerstin Meyer left few commercial studio recordings; a number of her radio broadcasts have been subsequently issued.