Ingeborg Steffensen (Mezzo-soprano)

Born: June 4, 1888 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: January 7, 1964 - Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish mezzo-soprano, Ingeborg Steffensen, studied with Sophie Keller and Borghild Bryhn-Langgaard in Copenhagen.

In 1909 Ingeborg Steffensen made her debut as a concert singer in Copenhagen. Only six years later she decided for a stage career and debuted in 1915 at the Royal Opera Copenhagen. Her successes in Copenhagen soon were very great. She made herself a name as Carmen, as Dalila in Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns, as Azucena in Il Trovatore, as Ortrud in Lohengrin, but she also sang some soprano roles such as Frau Ingeborg in Drot og Marsk by Peter Heise. Since 1919, her guest performances took her to Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin, Vienna and Prague, but the Copenhagen Opera remained her real artistic home. She was a member of this opera house until 1956, and then set up her career as prestigious concert and oratorio singer.

In 1931 Ingeborg Steffensen was appointed Königlich Dänischen Kammersängerin (Royal Danish Chamber Singer); in 1934 she received the Danish award "Ingenio et Arti".

Some recordings at HMV and Tono. In 1984 the Danacorn label published excerpts from operas and concerts, stemming from radio Copenhagen broadcasts.

Mor Karen (Ingeborg Steffensen) had fallen over in Ebbe (Ole Walbom) arms while Anne (Karen Heerup) looks to [01]

Vagabonden tries to impress an old mother, Ingeborg Steffensen [02]

Source: Operissimo Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (November 2010)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (November 2010)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Mogens Wöldike (Harpsichord)

Mezzo

BWV 478, BWV 493

Links to other Sites

Steffenson Ineborg, mezzosopran (Operissimo) [German]