Lydia Kjellberg trained at the Stockholm University of the Arts, had her major breakthrough in the summer of 2023 as Lady Macbeth in Läckö Opera’s production of Verdi’s Macbeth. Lydia has sung the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at Vattnäs Concert Barn. Her broad repertoire ranges from Mimi in La Bohème to more dramatic coloratura roles. With Piteå Chamber Opera, she performed the role of Doreen in the opera Sylvia – about the author Sylvia Plath – composed by Andrea Tarrodi. In 2022, Lydia was awarded the Swedish Wagner Society’s Bayreuth Scholarship and was chosen to participate in a concert at Villa Wahnfried, where she received great praise from both the audience and the press.

Marianne Eklöf, of the great singers of our time, mezzo-soprano who worked internationally for many years. She has also been active at Malmö Opera and was part of the permanent ensemble at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm for 25 years. There, she has performed roles as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, Eboli in Don Carlos, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Ortrud in Lohengrin, and most notably, Klytaimnestra in Elektra. Eklöf is also active as a director and has been the chairman of the Stockholm Strauss Orchestra since 2019.

Miranda Benramdane Fält, is a joyful dancer who loves to try new things! She attended the Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg, where she danced the lead role of Clara in The Nutcracker. She then continued her studies at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm, where she was selected to perform in Swan Lake with the Royal Opera. After graduating, Miranda has participated in The Nutcracker, danced at the Berwaldhallen, performed in Armide at Drottningholm, and now she has also auditioned to dance in Versailles, Paris, where she has progressed to the next stage!

Thelise Jonséus, is currently in her first year of the professional dance program at the Royal Swedish Ballet School. Previously, she danced at the Alhanko Academy of Ballet and then started at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in 9th grade. In the summer of 2024, she participated in the Académie International de Dance de Biarritz in France. She also performed in the New Year’s Concert in 2022.

Judith Simon is trained at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and directly after completing her training was employed by the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Early in her career Judith performed solo roles and competed in international ballet competitions. This led to her being appointed soloist and premiere dancer. Judith’s strong technique and sparkling personality gave her many leading roles and soloist assignments during her career at the Royal Opera as well as international tours to, for example, Japan, the USA, Brazil, England, Italy and the Czech Republic. She is now active as a choreographer and teacher at The Royal Swedish Ballet School.

Mika Eichenholz is former Chief conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de Concepción in Chile. He is extensively involved with orchestras in various parts of the world and has guest conducted, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hamburger Symphoniker, amongst others. In Sweden, in addition to the Strauss Orchestra, Eichenholz is often seen as a guest conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, most recently in the concert for the opening of the Parliamentary session, the Dagens Nyheter open-air Gärdet concert and the Epiphany Concert at the Stockholm Concert Hall in 2024. He has conducted at Gothenburg Opera, Wermland Opera, Malmö Opera and Folk Opera in Stockholm and has made a large number of cd recordings for EMI and Naxos to name but a few.

Stockholm Strauss Orchestra was founded in 1992 as an offshoot of the Swedish Strauss Society, which was established in 1960. The driving force behind it was Berth Vestergård, also one of the founders of the Strauss Society. The orchestra is modelled after – and has the same instrumental setup as – the Capelle Strauss orchestra, which performed under the leadership of members of the Strauss family between 1827 and 1901. It also follows the same dress code, with red tailcoats and white trousers, as the musicians of Capelle Strauss wore at the court balls in Vienna.