About Ulf

Ulf Bergström performs the Swedish national anthem.

Swedish Embassy, Israel, 2024.

Photo: Tami Aronovitch

As a ten-year-old boy, Ulf made his debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in autumn 1982 in Verdi’s Othello under Sixten Ehrling. He then sang frequently at the Opera, first between 1983 and 1986 with the distinguished Adolf Fredrik Boys’ Choir, which was attached to the Opera, under choir director Jan-Åke Hillerud, formerly a music teacher at the Adolf Fredrik Music School and chorus master at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Ulf as the Shepherd Boy in Tosca, Act III, 1984, with the Opera’s chorus master Jan-Åke Hillerud.

Photo: Kenneth Jonasson, Expressen.

In this way Ulf belonged to the generations who took part in a wide range of opera productions at the Opera. On the national opera stage he made his debut as a boy soloist in La Bohème, as the Boy in Taverner, in Tosca, in Tannhäuser as one of the Vier Sängerknaben, and as Sorgbarn in Singoalla, including a recording, as well as soloist on the Adolf Fredrik Boys’ Choir tour of Finland. He also took part in La Bohème, Carmen, Orpheus in the Underworld (Gluck), Tosca and Othello, Hansel and Gretel on radio, and was a frequent performer at the Opera, at the Stockholm Concert Hall with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and at the Radio House with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Ulf as “the Boy” in Taverner, 1984, at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Ulf also sang the “Shepherd Boy” in the introduction to the third act of Tosca – the same solo debut on an opera stage as Cecilia Bartoli. Ulf (then Lasse) thus became the first boy soprano ever to sing the shepherd boy’s solo on Sweden’s national stage, which the newspapers noted.

Among others, Expressen ran a major feature on this, as Ulf also got to work with the conductor, maestro Carlo Felice Cillario, who made the classic Tosca recordings with Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi and others.

Chorus master Jan-Åke Hillerud, conductor Carlo Felice Cillario and Ulf Bergström.

Photo: Kenneth Jonasson, Expressen.

From an early age Ulf experienced creating magic behind the curtain and learning from great names in music and culture. At the Royal Swedish Opera and the Stockholm Concert Hall, between the ages of 10 and 27, Ulf performed under conductors including Sixten Ehrling, Leif Segerstam, Kjell Ingebretsen, Gary Berkson, Cecilia Rydinger-Alin, Carlo Felice Cillario and Yuri Ahronovitch, and worked with legendary opera directors such as Götz Friedrich, Ann-Margret Pettersson, Knut Hendriksen and Göran Järvefelt. As a child Ulf was first admitted to the Stockholm Boys’ Choir. He then passed the entrance auditions for the Adolf Fredrik Music School, 1982–1988, moved after a year to the Adolf Fredrik Boys’ Choir, and attended the Stockholm Music Upper Secondary School 1988–1992. Ulf has also studied music psychology and has written some music of his own in jazz and popular genres.

Tosca, Royal Swedish Opera, 20 September 1984.

Chorus master Jan-Åke Hillerud, conductor Carlo Felice Cillario, and Ulf Bergström as the Shepherd Boy.

Photo: Kenneth Jonasson, Expressen.

Ulf later also appeared at Folkoperan in 2003, in the acclaimed production of Lucia di Lammermoor directed by Kasper Holten – a different stage from the Royal Opera, a different format, and all in Swedish. Since then he has performed as a tenor in various musical settings in countries including Australia, Germany, Russia, Israel, Italy, Finland, Belgium and France.

After his voice broke, Ulf sang in the Adolf Fredrik Chamber Choir under opera singer John-Erik Eleby, and regularly as a chorister at the Opera under Bosse Wannefors, Christina Hörnell and Robert Rydholm. He took singing lessons in Sweden and Italy and was selected to represent Sweden in the World Youth Choir 1995 in Canada, where he was chosen to sing solo. He has also appeared several times in productions at Kulturama, including The Magic Flute under directors such as Miklos Kundler, Carmen under Oscar Figueroa, Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, and as Gastone in La Traviata, 2002. All in all he sang at the Stockholm Opera for seventeen years, from the age of 10 to 27, before going freelance as an appreciated and much sought-after concert singer, in musical crossover from classical to crooner, and as an appreciated and knowledgeable singing teacher.

He trained and worked in Italy, and was taught by some of the foremost Swedish opera singers at the Royal Swedish Opera and by two legendary Italian opera world stars, the tenors Carlo Bergonzi and Giuliano Cianella. Alongside his singing studies in Florence he enjoyed playing football and got the nickname “Biondi” (“the blond one”), which later gave rise to the name Biondi Music.

Thanks to his musicality Ulf masters five languages professionally. He has also explored his artistic and other abilities, written a thriller, Hatarna (“The Haters”), and appeared in minor and leading roles in various advertising projects, film and TV.

He has also developed his interest in society and works at times as a consultant, writer, EU moderator and more.

Ulf has also written a thriller.

The thriller Hatarna (“The Haters”) on YouTube: Ulf Bergström presents the thriller Hatarna (Swedish) · Hatarna – audiobook (Swedish).

Ulf in Eurovision 2024 for a 163 million audience, acting as “Australian commentator”, hanging upside down, at 4 metres height during the takes.

Ulf as lead actor in six publicity ads campaign for Östgötatrafiken Transport, 2024, which made the national news.

Ulf in the 2024-publicity ads for the amusement park Gröna Lund. with some 877K views.

Singing teachers:

• John-Erik Eleby (Royal Swedish Opera)

• Mikael Weinius (Royal Swedish Opera)

• Gunnar Lundberg (Royal Swedish Opera)

• Michael Weinius (Royal Swedish Opera)
• Björn Haugan (Royal Swedish Opera)

• Carlo Bergonzi (Siena) and

• Giuliano Cianella (Florence)

• Susanna Rigacci (Florence).

• Singer at events including manifestations for Ukraine and at Swedish embassies

• Soloist at concerts, e.g. Misa Criolla, Mozart’s Requiem and more.

• Selected for, and soloist in, the World Youth Choir 1995, tour of Canada.

• Appearances in several opera productions at Kulturama, including Carmen, The Magic Flute, Orpheus and Södertälje Opera, among others, as well as soloist at several concerts.

Adolf Fredrik Music School 1982–1988.

Stockholm Music Upper Secondary School, 1988–1992, under Helene Stureborg

Adolf Fredrik Chamber Choir, 1991–1994, under John-Erik Eleby

Radio, TV and record recordings. Tours in Sweden, Finland, Russia and Germany. Chorister at the Royal Swedish Opera, 1991–1997, in productions including Don Juan “Freestyle”, Aida, Tosca, La Traviata, Cavalleria Rusticana, Lohengrin, Parsifal, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Pelléas et Mélisande, Tranfjädrarna, Malin, Boris Godunov, and at Folkoperan in Stockholm in 2003 in Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by Kasper Bech Holten.

Professional opera singer in some 200 performances, schooled in demanding musical and theatrical perfection, with extensive stage experience.

Singing teacher.

Repertoire (roles):

Nemorino-L’elisir D’Amore

Tamino – The Magic Flute

Don Ottavio-Don Giovanni

Il Duca di Mantova-Rigoletto

Edgardo-Lucia Di Lammermoor

Ernesto-Don Pasquale

Radames-Aida

Alfredo Germont – La Traviata, and others.

Discography:

(Selection) Rikskonserter Caprice, Singoalla, conductor: Yuri Ahronovitch. Tosca, conductor: Carlo Felice Cillario, 1984, Sterling. Adolf Fredrik Boys’ Choir Live. In Tune with Europe. Vår Tids Psalmer with Loa Falkman. Classic Rock. Christmas with Täby Music Classes. World Youth Choir 1995 – Live in Toronto.

Singoalla by Gunnar de Frumerie, 1985, Rikskonserter Caprice CAP 22023. Dirigent: Yuri Ahronovitch, Ann-Sofie von Otter -Singoalla, Björn Haugan – Erland, Ulf (then Lasse) Bergström – Sorgbarn.

The 1984 recording of Puccini’s Tosca, with the legendary, master conductor of this opera, Carlo Felice Cillario, Laila Andersson Palme as Tosca, Rolf Björling as Cavaradossi, and Ulf (then Lasse) Bergström in the role of the Shepard Boy. Cavaradossi was played by Rolf Björling, Jussi Björling’s son, who generously shared vocal advice to Ulf.

Sterling, CDA 1837/38-2, newly released in 2019.

World Youth Choir, “Live in Toronto”, CD and live radio broadcast all over Canada, 1995. Conductors Frieder Bernius and Albert McNeil, with Ulf as soloist in “Marry A Woman Uglier Than You”, by Leonard de Paur. The song is a classic, and the first caplyso to be performed in a movie.

WYC, HOD290467

Contact Biondi Music today to book Ulf – for music to remember!