About Folkoperan

Folkoperan is a small opera house with big dreams and a glorious vision. A sensual workshop where we test voice and movement, words and thoughts, tone and rhythm, light and image, colour and design. We experiment with opera as an art form to find an expression of our times that enables a serendipitous interface of different art forms, between stage and salon, reality and fantasy.

Opera for all 

We aim to make our opera profound yet accessible to everyone. Which is why we sing in Swedish at Folkoperan. We seek to reinvigorate and refresh the art of opera by coming close to our times, close to our audience and close to the story we tell. Opera is about daring to feel passionately, showing sumptuously and saying abundantly. We demonstrate that opera has an explosive power that our times need today.

Folkoperan was founded in 1976 to reinvent the art of opera, to find new target audiences and to create job opportunities for freelance singers and musicians. The founders of Folkoperan felt a burning desire to change the art of opera, to further develop it and to reach out to children and younger audiences. Those of us who work at Folkoperan today are developing this inheritance and spirit, intensifying the art of opera and steering Folkoperan into the future with passionate commitment, unlimited fantasy and artistic courage.
We invite you to join us in this house of opportunity that is Folkoperan.

Organisation

Folkoperan was founded in 1976 by Claes Fellbom, Kerstin Nerbe and Krister Fagerström as an independent music and theatre group. Since 1993 our working structure has been as a theatre institute. This means that Folkoperan receives annual funding from the Swedish Arts Council, Stockholm County Council and the City of Stockholm. These grants make up around 66.5% of our annual turnover. Turnover in 2009 was SEK 42 million.

Folkoperan is the largest employer of freelance singers and musicians in Sweden. All artistic personnel (except for the artistic director, music director and rehearsals manager) are employed per project.
The Folkoperan management consists of Pia Kronqvist (Managing Director, Mira Bartov (Artistic Director) and Joakim Unander (Music Director, Chief Conductor).

Stiftelsen Folkoperan (The Folkoperan Foundation) is the sole shareholder in Folkoperan AB and also acts as artistic and financial advisor. Folkoperan is managed by Folkoperan AB.

Folkoperan AB

The following are members of the Folkoperan AB board: Eva Schöld (chair), Sverker Gawell, Leif Blixten Henriksson, Kjell Ingebretsen, Inger Mattsson, Magnus Aspegren, Geronimo Unia and Jonas Forssell. Employee representatives are Stefan Axelsson, Gunnar Jönsson, Johnny Rönnlund and Jon Sundberg.

Stiftelsen Folkoperan (Folkoperan Foundation)

The following are members of the Stiftelsen Folkoperan board: Christina Jutterström (chair), Malena Ernman, Håkan Hagegård, Anders Lindström, Eva Schöld, Tebogo Monnakgotla and founders Staffan Rydén, Arne Åkerström, Claes Fellbom and Kerstin Nerbe.