Soprano Karolina Bengtsson Wins the Birgit Nilsson Stipendium for 2025

The $25,000 USD scholarship has been awarded annually to an emerging Swedish singer since 1973

Created by Birgit Nilsson in 1969, in memory of her first teacher, Ragnar Blennow, the Birgit Nilsson Stipendium is a smaller supplementary award to the major Birgit Nilsson Prize. The stipendium carries a cash value of 250,000 SEK (approximately $25,000) and has been presented to an outstanding young Swedish singer since 1973.

In 2025, the stipendium has been awarded to the soprano Karolina Bengtsson. She is a graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, where her teachers were Barbara Bonney and Wolfgang Holzmair (lieder) and Gaiva Bandzinaite (role preparation).

Bengtsson is presently a member of the soloist ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, where her roles have included Silvia (Mozart's Ascanio in Alba), Belisa (Wolfgang Fortner's In seinem Garten liebt Don Perlimplin Belisa), and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte).

She has received a number of distinctions, including the winning First Prize (the Golden Victoria) at the DEBUT International Singing Competition in 2020 and the award for Best Young Artist at the Meistersinger von Nürnberg competition in 2022.

Upcoming highlights include a debut at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Camille in a new production of Charpentier's Louise, and at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music as Dori in Traetta's Iphigenia in Tauride.

Past recipients of the Birgit Nilsson Stipendium include Hillevi Martinpelto, Nina Stemme, Anna Larsson, Malin Byström, and Christina Nilsson.

"What an honor!" Bengtsson said. "It is an incredible feeling to be awarded the prestigious Birgit Nilsson Stipendium. In addition to the honor, it is also recognition — a reinforcing boost to continue following my dreams."

"My deepest thanks."