Malin Byström

In the 2026–27 season, Byström returns to several leading opera houses, including her role debut as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera with the Royal Ballet & Opera in London, the title role in Tosca at the Wiener Staatsoper and the Royal Swedish Opera, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser at the Teatro Real Madrid, Feldmarschallin in Der Rosenkavalier at the Wiener Staatsoper, and The Woman in Schönberg’s Erwartung at the Polish National Opera. On the concert platform, Byström performs Vier letze lieder at the Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and returns to sing the finale of Strauss’ Capriccio with Andrés Orozco-Estrada with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra where she is an Artist in Residence this season.

Last season’s highlights included her critically acclaimed role debut as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde at the Dutch National Opera, Desdemona in Otello and Leonore in Fidelio at the Wiener Staatsoper, and the title role in Rusalka at the Bayerische Staatsoper. On the concert platform, Byström toured with Jonas Kaufmann and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra (Magische Töne) and sung Marie in Wozzeck in a concert version with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Simon Rattle.

Recent operatic highlights include role debuts as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser at the Wiener Staatsoper and Danae in a new production of Strauss’ Die Liebe der Danae at the Bayerische Staatsoper; her highly acclaimed debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at the Dutch National Opera subsequently returning to the role in a new production at the Wiener Staatsoper; The Woman in Schönberg’s Erwartung at the Teatro Real Madrid; and Marie in Wozzeck at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Royal Swedish Opera. Byström made her critically acclaimed debut at Wiener Staatsoper in 2020/21 as Elisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos and has since returned to perform the title role in Salome and Minnie in La fanciulla del West. A frequent guest at the Royal Ballet & Opera, London, Byström has portrayed the title roles in Tosca and Salome, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Mathilde in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, Hélène in Les Vêpres Siciliennes, Marguerite in Faust, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Elettra in Idomeneo and Amalia in I Masnadieri. At the Metropolitan Opera, Byström performed the title role in Arabella, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Marguerite in Faust. She is a regular performer in her home country, appearing in the title roles in Tosca, Jenůfa and Fedora, Marie in Wozzeck, Die Feldmarschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, Minnie in La fanciulla del West, Desdemona in Otello, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Romilda in Serse at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Other notable performances include The Countess Madeleine in Capriccio at Teatro Real in Madrid and the Edinburgh International Festival; Jenůfa in her San Francisco Opera debut in 2016; Thaïs with the Göteborg Opera and the Palau de les Arts Valencia alongside Plácido Domingo; Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festspiele; Fiordiligi at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Lyon, Les Arts Florissants, and Opera North; Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Grand Théâtre de Genève; Agathe in Der Freischütz and Musetta in La Bohème at the Bregenz Festival; Amelia in Simon Boccanegra and Marguerite in Christof Loy’s acclaimed Faust production at Göteborg Opera; Hélène in Les vêpres siciliennes at the Grand Théâtre de Genève; Hanna Glawary in Die lustige Witwe and the title role in Hindesmith’s Sancta Susanna at the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier; and the title role in Massenet’s Manon at Opera North. Byström has performed Tosca at Oper Frankfurt, the Dutch National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Staatsoper Stuttgart as well as in London and Stockholm. Her first portrayal of Salome, with the Dutch National Opera and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Daniele Gatti, earned her the prestigious Female Singer of the Year award at the 2018 International Opera Awards. Byström has since performed the role at the Royal Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, the Bolshoi and at the Edinburgh International Festival, which was recorded for Chandos.

On the concert platform, she has performed Marie in Wozzeck in concert with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Sir Simon Rattle; Mendelssohn’s Elijah both with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Orchestre National de France, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Teatro all Scala and in Bonn; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; and Strauss’ Vier letze lieder with Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and in Stockholm.

Byström’s active discography includes her recently released German Opera Scenes and Arias (BIS) with Thomas Søndergård and the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring scenes and arias from Salome, Fidelio, and Die tote Stadt; Orchestral Songs (Swedish Society Discofil) featuring songs by Albern Berg, Henri Duparc, and Ture Rangström; Richard Strauss: Salome (title role, Chandos) with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner; Janáček: Glagolitic Mass & Sinfonietta (Soprano, Warner Classics) with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg; and as Mathilde in Rossini: Guilllaume Tell (EMI) with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting the Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She features in Jonas Kaufmann’s recently released Puccini: Love Affairs (Sony Classical) in excerpts from La fanciulla del West.

Malin Byström studied at the University College of Opera in Stockholm, her hometown. In 2016, she was honoured with the Litteris et Artibus medal by H.M. the King of Sweden for her exceptional artistry and contributions to opera and appointed Court Singer in 2018.