| cvericabackresume2019.pdf |
Finnish-Swedish mezzo-soprano Erica Back has been praised for her ‘round, beautifully shining and effortlessly ringing voice’ (Helsingin Sanomat) and is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after singers of her generation in her native Finland.
In January 2019 Erica joined the opera studio at Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Oldenburg, Germany.
Highlights of this season there include a.o. Wellgunde (Götterdämmerung), Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Cupid (Orpheus in der Unterwelt), and Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor).
Recent operatic highlights from the 2017/18 season included the world premiere of Olli Kortekangas’ opera Veljeni vartija (Serafina Suomi) for Tampere Opera, a production of Händel’s Alcina (Ruggiero) for Vaasa Baroque and Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Dorabella) at the Finnish National Opera (FNO). The season was crowned with Gounod’s Faust (Siebel) at Savonlinna Opera Festival.
In 2016 she made her debut at the FNO as the Second Lady in Mozart’s the Magic Flute. This was followed by two further appearances at the FNO in 2016, as Cherubino in Mozart’s the Marriage of Figaro and Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. In the summer seasons 2015 and 2016 Erica appeared at the theatre Confidencen in Stockholm as Dorabella in Così fan tutte.
She has worked with conductors such as Phillip Auguin, Michael Güttler, Louis Langrée, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Alfred Eschwé, Kristiina Poska, Ainars Rubikis, Aapo Häkkinen, Arnold Östman, Christoph Altstaedt, Tomas Djupsjöbacka and Klaus Mäkelä.
Erica is also an active performer of oratorio, chamber music and lied. She has performed the alto part in Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew’s Passion, Händel’s Dixit Dominus and Resphigi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore, among others. Erica’s chamber music repertoire ranges from baroque to new music. The art song genre in particular lies close to Erica’s heart. Since fall 2015 she has regularly collaborated with Australian pianist Aura Go, with whom she finds the exploration of new art song repertoire richly rewarding and inspiring.
Erica has demonstrated her firm grasp of different genres in several national and international competitions. In 2014, she was awarded shared first prize in the Kangasniemi Singing Competition in Finland. Erica's special aptitude for lied interpretation saw her receive the second prize and a special lied recital prize at the 2015 International Sibelius singing competition in Järvenpää, Finland. In 2016, she was awarded shared second prize at the national singing competition in Lappeenranta.
In 2017 Erica was awarded tenor Caj Ehrstedt's prize for classical singers under thirty. In the same year she also received a grant and concert prize at the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg.
In spring 2016 Erica graduated from her opera studies (Master of Music) at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under the guidance of mezzo-soprano Monica Groop. Her studies have included performing the role of Dorabella (Mozart: Così fan tutte), Frida Kahlo (K. Aho: Frida y Diego, premiere performance), Marchesa Melibea (G. Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims) and L’enfant (M. Ravel: L’enfant et les sortilèges).
Before pursuing her Master studies, Erica achieved her Bachelor degree from the University of Music in Piteå, Sweden, under the guidance of Synnöve Dellqvist and Emma Rönnlund. She currently studies privately for German soprano Christiane Iven and has also attended master classes given by Peter Mattei, Julia Hamari, Soile Isokoski and Mikko Franck among others.
In addition, she has studied at the Framnäs Folk College (Piteå, Sweden) and Conservatory of Kokkola, Finland. Erica also has a background in playing the French horn.
In January 2019 Erica joined the opera studio at Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Oldenburg, Germany.
Highlights of this season there include a.o. Wellgunde (Götterdämmerung), Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Cupid (Orpheus in der Unterwelt), and Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor).
Recent operatic highlights from the 2017/18 season included the world premiere of Olli Kortekangas’ opera Veljeni vartija (Serafina Suomi) for Tampere Opera, a production of Händel’s Alcina (Ruggiero) for Vaasa Baroque and Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Dorabella) at the Finnish National Opera (FNO). The season was crowned with Gounod’s Faust (Siebel) at Savonlinna Opera Festival.
In 2016 she made her debut at the FNO as the Second Lady in Mozart’s the Magic Flute. This was followed by two further appearances at the FNO in 2016, as Cherubino in Mozart’s the Marriage of Figaro and Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. In the summer seasons 2015 and 2016 Erica appeared at the theatre Confidencen in Stockholm as Dorabella in Così fan tutte.
She has worked with conductors such as Phillip Auguin, Michael Güttler, Louis Langrée, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Alfred Eschwé, Kristiina Poska, Ainars Rubikis, Aapo Häkkinen, Arnold Östman, Christoph Altstaedt, Tomas Djupsjöbacka and Klaus Mäkelä.
Erica is also an active performer of oratorio, chamber music and lied. She has performed the alto part in Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew’s Passion, Händel’s Dixit Dominus and Resphigi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore, among others. Erica’s chamber music repertoire ranges from baroque to new music. The art song genre in particular lies close to Erica’s heart. Since fall 2015 she has regularly collaborated with Australian pianist Aura Go, with whom she finds the exploration of new art song repertoire richly rewarding and inspiring.
Erica has demonstrated her firm grasp of different genres in several national and international competitions. In 2014, she was awarded shared first prize in the Kangasniemi Singing Competition in Finland. Erica's special aptitude for lied interpretation saw her receive the second prize and a special lied recital prize at the 2015 International Sibelius singing competition in Järvenpää, Finland. In 2016, she was awarded shared second prize at the national singing competition in Lappeenranta.
In 2017 Erica was awarded tenor Caj Ehrstedt's prize for classical singers under thirty. In the same year she also received a grant and concert prize at the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg.
In spring 2016 Erica graduated from her opera studies (Master of Music) at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under the guidance of mezzo-soprano Monica Groop. Her studies have included performing the role of Dorabella (Mozart: Così fan tutte), Frida Kahlo (K. Aho: Frida y Diego, premiere performance), Marchesa Melibea (G. Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims) and L’enfant (M. Ravel: L’enfant et les sortilèges).
Before pursuing her Master studies, Erica achieved her Bachelor degree from the University of Music in Piteå, Sweden, under the guidance of Synnöve Dellqvist and Emma Rönnlund. She currently studies privately for German soprano Christiane Iven and has also attended master classes given by Peter Mattei, Julia Hamari, Soile Isokoski and Mikko Franck among others.
In addition, she has studied at the Framnäs Folk College (Piteå, Sweden) and Conservatory of Kokkola, Finland. Erica also has a background in playing the French horn.