Carl Unander-Scharin, Composer and Lyric Tenor
Carl Unander-Scharin was born in Stockholm in 1964, studied at the Royal College of Music and at the National College of Opera in Stockholm.
He has a parallel career as a composer and as a lyric tenor.
Having sung roles at many Swedish venues such as the Folkoperan, Vadstena-Academy, and the likes, his is since the season 2000/2001 - a member of the ensemble at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, where he is appearing in roles such as Tamino (Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte"), Almaviva (Rossini's "Il Barbiere da Siviglia"), Raoul de Gardefeu (Offenbachs "La Vie Parisienne), Gonzalve (Ravels "L´heure Espagnole) and others.
He also specialises in Bach’s tenor parts, for example the passions and the oratorios.
Unander-Scharin is a composer of operas, electronic/ interactive music and spiritual music.His radio-opera Mannen på Sluttningen/ The man on the Hillside was selected to represent the Swedish Broadcasting union at Prix Italia in 1991.
His first opera for the stage - Tokfursten/ The King of Fools was premiered in Vadstena in July 1996, and was released on CD (CAP 22046).
The song cycle for radio, Figures in a landscape was commissioned by the Swedish Broadcasting Union, and awarded an honorary mention in Prix Italia, 1999.
Lysistrate - his third opera, was commissioned by the Stockholm Opera Academy - and premiered in June 1998. This opera was staged in Oslo in April 2002.
In September 2001, his fourth opera Hummelhonung / Sweetness was staged by the Stockholm Royal Opera.
At the castle in Vadstena, his fifth opera Byrgitta had its world premiere July 26 2003. This opera is based on the life of Birgitta Birgersdotter, Sweden’s most famous person from the medieval times.
The oratorio Apostlagärning/ Acts was given its first performance in May 2004, and broadcast on the radio and web. It was encored in 2006, and was also selected to represent the future possibilities of oratorio writing by the Swedish Church´s cultural council.
His 6th opera, a commission from the Royal Opera in Stockholm, had its premiere in Dec 2006. It is a comic opera for children and others - Loranga, Masarin and Dartanjang, based on books by Barbro Lindgren.
In august 2006, the third motet Spritual Exercises was premiered by the Swedish Radio choir, conducted by Peter Dijkstra.
For the Kroumata percussion ensemble and the Swedish soprano Erika Sunnegårdh he wrote The World As I see It with texts by Albert Einstein. This piece was selected by Swedish Radio to be presented at Rostrum 2007. The choral work To The Unknown God was premiered in May 2007.
The fourth motet To The Unknown God was given its first performance by St. Jakobs Chamberchoir under Gary Graden in may ´07.
The interactive Dreamplay The Crystal Cabinet was premiered by Piteå Chamber Opera, and toured the north of Sweden in the fall of 2008.
From 2007 to 2009, Carl Unander-Scharin was composer-in-residence at the Gothenburg Opera House, where the operathriller The Insomnia Clinic/ Sömnkliniken was premiered in February 2009. It was a collaboration with Alexander Ahndoril.
Carl sung the role of Nadir in Folkoperan´s production of Bizet´s "The Pearlfishers" during fall 2009. From 2010 he is singing at the Royal Opera, Stockholm.
The current commissions are: Medmänniskor (oratorio with texts by Stefan Einhorn - commission from the Berwaldhall, Stockholm); The Elephant-Man (opera commissioned by NorrlandsOperan, libretto by Michael Williams); Laocoon (Choir and Dancework, commissioned by The Netherlands Kamerkoor) and Artificial Body Voices - a Dance/Music/ video work created in collaboration with Åsa Unander-Scharin, Lene Juhl and Mark Viktov.