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The Swedish tenor, Michael Axelsson, started singing at an early age and had the opportunity to perform at the Stockholm Royal Opera as a boy soprano, singing e.g. Miles in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw, Erster Knabe in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Erster Edelknabe in Lohengrin, as well as singing the Cabin Boy in B. Britten's The Golden Vanity at a performance at Stockholm Concert Hall. He studied at the University College of Opera in Stockholm (2005-2008) and the performance programme in singing at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Singing: 2002-2005), as well as Musicology, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy at the Stockholm University (1997-2002). He has studied with Mathias Zachariassen, Carl Unander-Scharin, Piotr Bednarski, Mattias Danielsson, and Professor Erik Saedén, and participated in master-classes with Peter Berne, Olle Persson, Dan Marek and Professor Oren Brown. He has received scholarships from the Swedish Order of Free Masons, the Anders Sandrew Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and participated as finalist in the Gösta Winbergh Award.
Since his debut as Don Curzio in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at Drottningholms Slottsteater in 2006, Michael Axelsson has sung a wide variety of roles ranging from the W.A. Mozart repertoire like Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte, over Bel canto roles like Conte Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Ernesto in Don Pasquale, to character roles like Kolomán Zsupán in the Operetta Gräfin Mariza and Remendado in Georges Bizet's Carmen. The different productions took him to opera houses like Norrlandsoperan, Dalhalla Opera, Drottningholms Slottsteater, Smålandsoperan, Opera på Skäret and BAM in New York. In the Autumn of 2018 he sang the Actor Jof in the opera The Seventh Seal (based on the Film by Ingmar Bergman) in the concert first performance in Brazil, with the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC). During 2010-2012, he was a member of the soloist ensemble at Landesbühnen Sachsen in Dresden, where he sang for example Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Fenton in Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor. In 2007 he was a laureate at Kammeroper Schloß Reihnsberg in Germany singing Dr. Cajus in Verdi’s Falstaff.
In the oratorio field Michael Axelsson has a wide repertoire, singing Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 and Mass in B minor BWV 232 by J.S. Bach, The Messiah by George Frideric Handel, Requiem and the C Minor Mass by W.A. Mozart and Saint Nicolas by B. Britten. One of his specialties is singing the Evangelist Parts in the Passions by J.S. Bach. As a member of a male solo quartet he performs regularly at the Royal Chapel and the Royal Palace at official occasions.
In the field of chamber music Michael Axelsson has performed for instance Serenade, Canticle I and II, and Songs from the Chinese by B. Britten, Dichterliebe by Robert Schumann and Die Schöne Müllerin by Schubert. The Swedish Lied is important for him and 2010 he released his first CD “Hjärtats sommar” focusing on Swedish art songs. He also collaborated with contemporary composers, for example with two song cycles by the composer and pianist Daniel Stagno and premiering a Requiem by Visby Cathedral Organist Claes Holmgren.
Singing in choir has been an important part of Michael Axelsson's life from an early age, starting with Adolf Fredriks Music School in Stockholm, where he sang in the boy's choir under it's legendary leader Jan-Åke Hillerudh. Of great importance was also his time in the World Youth Choir (1999-2003) and working with Gary Graden in Stockholms Musikgymnasiums Kammarkör and S:t Jacobs Chamber Choir (1994-1999 and 1999-2005 respectively). He has sung many times in The Swedish Radio Choir (since 2003) and Eric Ericson Chamber Choir (since 2004), being a permanent member in the latter 2018-2021. Since 2021, he is a permanent member of the Royal Opera Chorus in Stockholm. |
