The Ambassador
sIn 1986 Chesne Ryman and Inger Wikstrom, the Swedish concert pianist, conductor and composer, were invited by the Royal Swedish Music Academy, to tour Australia presenting music by Swedish composers in concert halls and on Broadcasting stations. At their triumphant return home, they performed the program at the Royal Music Academy in Stockholm, and the concert was recorded live. Their long collaboration would also result in several other albums including Wikstrom's compositions with texts by Rilke and Strindberg.
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Ryman and Wikstrom also toured extensively together in Sweden, Israel, Italy and USA presenting Swedish and international music in the attempt to build bridges across barriers of cultures and nations. They also often performed in front of visiting dignitaries at the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the Royal Palace ("Musik at the Castle"), the Opening by Queen Silvia of the Russian Gold Exhibition at the Historic Museum, and in Stockholm Cathedral at the closing event of the International Chemotherapy Conference, where they performed with the Nordic Chamber Orchestra.
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Ryman was hired as a "Singing Ambassador" by Church of Sweden to bring new audiences to the churches. She gained wide following and in 1975 she sang in front of an audience of 15,000 at a Christian convention. She also performed in Trondheim Cathedral and the Rock Church in Helsinki.
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thReturning to the Sydney Opera House - a unique building with a roof of white ceramic tiles imported from Sweden. The tiles were so heavy that the entire steel construction carrying the load had to be re-engineered, which delayed the construction.
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In 1980 Chesne Ryman and her Swedish born husband Dr. Karl Mettinger acquired a landmark historic 18th century refurbished villa on Tivoli peninsula at the lake Brunnsviken across from Haga Castle of King Gustav III. The villa, which had served as a music pavilion, had been built by the first president of the Royal Academy of Music in honor of his friend Joseph Martin Kraus, "the Swedish Mozart". Kraus had been recruited from Germany by the king to advance music at the Royal Court in the role of composer, conductor and director of the music academy. When Kraus died in 1792 at age 36, he was buried on Tivoli not far from the site of the music pavilion.
Meitinger and Ryman decided to opene their new home for live concerts. In May 1980 the villa was re-inaugurated/dedicated as "Kraus Pavillion" by Jan-Erik Wikstrom, Mnister of Culture and Education, with music by Kraus performed by Chesne Ryman (soprano), Inger Wikstrom (piano), Varoujan Kojian (violin, concertmaster and conductor at the Royal Opera), and Leo Vinland. (Violincello, concertmaster Stockholm Philharmonic). All of them were international artists and faculty members at the Nordic Music Conservatory. Subsequently monthly concerts were organized by Friends of the Opera featuring artists from the Stockholm Royal Opera such as Anne Sofie von Otter and Eric Saedén. The owners continued this tradition until they moved to Miami in 1988-89.
Meitinger and Ryman decided to opene their new home for live concerts. In May 1980 the villa was re-inaugurated/dedicated as "Kraus Pavillion" by Jan-Erik Wikstrom, Mnister of Culture and Education, with music by Kraus performed by Chesne Ryman (soprano), Inger Wikstrom (piano), Varoujan Kojian (violin, concertmaster and conductor at the Royal Opera), and Leo Vinland. (Violincello, concertmaster Stockholm Philharmonic). All of them were international artists and faculty members at the Nordic Music Conservatory. Subsequently monthly concerts were organized by Friends of the Opera featuring artists from the Stockholm Royal Opera such as Anne Sofie von Otter and Eric Saedén. The owners continued this tradition until they moved to Miami in 1988-89.