'Jenny Lind' tours again

The summer concert of Nordic folk music and opera arias will soon be in Moline and Chicago, Illinois. 

  • The Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø with Julia Sjöstedt photographed at their first U.S. concert in Philadelphia, PA.

  • Jenny Lind scholars tour the U.S.
    The North American tour, which began in Canada will cover a great deal of the United States in June.

  • 2018 Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø tours the U.S. in June. Photo folketshusochparker.se

  • The Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø, is accompanied by Julia Sjöstedt, who is studying piano at the Academy of Music in Stockholm. The power and control of both scholars, the presence, the range and nice vibrato of the singer, makes these concerts a must if you're anywhere near their scheduled stops. The varied program includes music by Scandinavian composers Grieg and Stenhammar along with a mix of Schumann, Gounod and Strauss and an aria from Puccini's La Bohéme.

  • "The Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind was born in Sweden in 1820 and performed for the first time in America on Sept. 11, 1850.

  • Jenny Lind, the Swedish opera star who came to the U.S. for a grand tour with the great impresario P.T. Barnum in 1850, is a legend still today; the Jenny Lind Scholarship is awarded annually by the People’s Parks and Community Center in Stockholm. The scholarship jury had this to say about Kine Sandtrø, who studies at the Stockholm Opera School: “The 26-year-old opera singer shows with her clear voice a test of great musicality, stage presence and a delightful expression."

  • 2018 Jenny Lind scholar, soprano Kine Sandtrø. Photo folketshusochparker.se

  • Sandtrø is originally from Stjørdal, Norway but now lives in Stockholm. She has an extensive repertoire and is eager to spread classical music and opera to other young people.
    "I want to show that opera is an incredibly cool art form that brings up big emotions and is about what it's like to be human," she says in a press release.

  • Sandtrø is the 53rd singer to be awarded this scholarship, which includes SEK 40,000 ($4500) and concert tours in Sweden and North America this summer. Her tour begins in Canada, with concerts on June 4 in Toronto and June 7 in Ottawa.

  • The U.S. tour starts in Philadelphia then moves across Swedish America before returning for more concerts in Sweden:

  • June 8 - Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church, 916 S. Swanson St.,
    Philadelphia. There is a suggested donation of $20/adults, $10/students. 215.389.1513 / www.preserveoldswedes.org/event/jenny-lind-concert

  • June 10 – Gettysburg, PA
    June 13 – Washington, DC
    June 18 – New Orleans, LA
    June 21 – San Francisco, CA
    June 24 – Moline, IL
    June 29 – Chicago, IL

  • For more information and to practice your Swedish, follow Sandtrø and Sjöstedt's tour blog at www.jennylindturne.wordpress.com/turneplaner