Richard Hamrin is currently one of Sweden’s most versatile and sought-after baritones. He has built a career that range spans the full lyric baritone repertoire and large-scale musical theatre.

In 2024, he garnered acclaimed for his portrayal of Jasper in “Arv” at Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern in Stockholm and as Sigismund in “Vita Hästen” at Folkoperan. He has also portrayed King Herod in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm, among others.

OperaWire had a chance to speak with Hamrin, who has been a major presence at the Royal Swedish Opera, Drottningholm Court Theatre, and Wermland Opera, about his work in balancing opera with musical theatre.

OperaWire: You sing musicals and opera. What is the difference and what do you think is more challenging?

Richard Hamrin: I always try to take on roles where I feel that my voice and personality come into their own, whether it is opera, musicals, straight theatre or other music. When it comes to musicals, my voice fits very well with the slightly older generation of musicals, like the golden-age musical theatre repertoire -Rodgers and Hammerstein and the Bob Fosse world – where a strong classical foundation is actually a great advantage, and then the difference is often not that very big.

The challenge lies in doing both genres justice, both musically and stylistically, but I am grateful to be blessed with a voice that makes it possible to sing both genres!

OW: How do you balance the different singing styles and what do you prefer?

RH: I always start from my classical voice and training, but of course I have to work with my voice using other means and colors when I sing other repertoire.

What does the composer require? What am I capable of doing? How do I place the voice with my technique? All those questions I carry with me into the work. I love being able to exist in several different musical worlds, it enriches and inspires me. I honestly think I would be restless and very bored if I didn’t.

OW: How did you go about singing both styles? Was that something you always wanted to do?

RH: I think I have always wanted to become a broad artist and singer, but it has taken time to find my path. I started early, singing many different styles – opera, art songs, musicals and taking both dance and theatre lessons as a kid.

After my education, I was lucky to be offered a wide range of roles quite quickly, from Papageno in Mozart to Pirate Jenny in “The Threepenny Opera.” Those contrasts really formed me as an artist and made me confident to continue with both genres.

A real milestone was my one-man opera about the cult artist Klaus Nomi at the Royal Swedish Opera. It was a project I had initiated after several years of developing the idea. This project allowed me to explore and really challenge my voice in new directions, I sang part-time in falsetto, which I never had done in public before! It offered a much freer form of storytelling, where I combined pure spoken acting and singing, which led me to the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and a role in the eight-hour play “The Inheritance.”

OW: You will be singing Joel Theodor Engström and Sigrid Herrault’s new opera. Can you tell me about this work?

RH: It is a newly written opera about the space shuttle disaster Challenger, which exploded exactly 40 years ago. A large-scale new work about humanity’s dreams, the promises of technology and the moments when everything collapses. The starting point is one of the most shocking events of modern times. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Seventy-three seconds later, the craft exploded in front of live television cameras. The music moves with playful precision between the human and the fragile and the mechanical pulse of the system. Rhythms from NASA’s control room meet floating melodies and an electronic, 80s-inspired soundscape. It really gives a Stranger Things vibe!

OW: What do you like about working with contemporary composers?

RH: It is exciting and very fun to work with contemporary composers, so that you actually get the chance to ask questions, explore and create together! That dialogue is something you rarely get when you work with older repertoire – I mean, most of the guys are dead, haha. As with all art forms, the art of opera must continue to find its voice, expressions and make its interpretation of our own time.

OW: Tell me about the character you will be portraying and the challenges of that work.

RH: I play the astronaut who trains and prepares the schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe for the space journey. You could say he carries both the expedition and the country’s belief in the future on his shoulders. It is an exciting work, where we all go in and out of different roles!

OW: You’ll be doing concert performances this spring. What do you like about doing these performances and how does it differ from the stage?

RH: Right now I am preparing both the opera role, a Lied concert with some Mahler songs, music by the Swedish composer Algot Haquinius, as well as a Zarah Leander program that I will perform later this summer at the Birgit Nilsson Festival. It is wonderful to go in and make music with my pianist. When you have your own concerts you stand more exposed and vulnerable alone with yourself and the audience. You do not have the same protection as when you step into a role.

OW: What are some of your dream roles and what are some of the opera companies you would like to perform at?

RH: I think I mostly dream of continuing to explore and develop my instrument and artistry with like-minded people who are curious, ambitious and creative. I have learned that a dream role arises when you are surrounded by a good artistic team. Unfortunately a dream role could easily be destroyed in the wrong hands. I believe that the magic can happen both on a smaller underground stage and on a large international stage. But of course it would be fun to explore “Eugene Onegin,” or Winston in Lorin Maazel’s opera “1984,” the Emcee in “Cabaret,” or why not “Carmen?” The exciting thing about this profession is that a new journey is always unfolding. Still, the never-ending challenge, though, is just to know when to eat when you perform!