Magna Lykseth-Skogman
Magna Elvine Lykseth-Skogman, also known as Magna Lykseth-Schjerven, (1874–1949) was a Norwegian-born Swedish operatic soprano. After making her début at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1901 as Santuzza in "Cavalleria rusticana", she was engaged there until 1918 becoming the company's prima donna. She performed leading roles in a wide range of operas but is remembered in particular for her Wagnerian interpretations, creating Brünnhilde in the Swedish premières of "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung". Considered to be one of the most outstanding Swedish opera singers of her generation, she was awarded the Litteris et Artibus medal  in 1907 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1912. Biography. Born in Chrisiania, Norway, on 6 February 1874, Magna Elvine Lykseth was the daughter of the typographer Anders Larsen Lykseth and his wife Anne née Erikesen. She completed her schooling in Chrisitiania and after initial voice training at the Conservatory under Ida Basilier-Magelssen, she moved to Stockholm in 1894 where she was a pupil of John Forsell. She also studied in Germany, especially in Bayreuth. From 1901 to 1910, she was married to the Norwegian merchant Olav Schjerren and from 1911 to the  Swedish Baron Karl Skogman. In 1898, she made her début as Magna Lykseth in a concert performance before going on tour in Sweden with 's opera company where her roles included Leonora in "Il trovatore" and Philine in "Mignon". In 1901, Lykseth made her début at the Royal Swedish Opera as Santuzza in "Cavalleria rusticana", followed by Margareta in Gounod's "Faust". During her engagement with the company until 1918, she became particularly successful in her Wagnerian roles, creating the Swedish premières of Brünnhilde in "Siegfried" (1905) and "Götterdåmmerung" (1907) and in 1909 she sang the title role in "Tristan  und Isolde". She was frequently a guest performer at the National Theatre in Oslo where she premiered "Tosca" (1908) and "Aida" (1909). Thanks to her extensive repertoire, she became extremely popular in Sweden. As a result, apart from a few guest performances in Denmark and Sweden, she travelled little. Her wide-ranging voice and her talented stage performances contributed to her success in Italian opera, including Tosca, Aida and Desdemona in "Otello". Among her many other roles were the Countess in "The Marriage of Figaro", Leonora in "Fidelio" and Micaela in "Carmen". Magna Lykseth-Skogman died in Stockholm on 13  November 1949. Awards. In 1907, she was honoured with the Swedish Litteris et Artibus medal and in 1912 she became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.