The musical artist Feline Andersson has been awarded the Stenastiftelsen’s cultural grant for 2026. The grantees each receive 300,000 kronor. The award comes as she is about to return to her breakthrough role as the witch Elphaba in Wicked. She was 23 years old when she debuted in the role at the Swedish premiere of the musical at GöteborgsOperan. The reviewer from Dagens Nyheter described her portrayal of the bullied character as a tough rebel and praised a voice with the tone of dark, finely honed steel.
In 2025, she played Kim, the title role in Miss Saigon. Svenska Dagbladet described her performance as brilliant, while Göteborgs-Posten called her phenomenal in the role.
"I am incredibly grateful and still a little bit in shock," she said about the grant. She described it as significant to have been seen as a candidate and plans to use the money for lessons and an inspirational trip to London. In addition to financing her artistic development, the support, according to her, provides both financial and personal security: "a kind of proof that I am doing something right".
Sten A Olsson's Foundation for Research and Culture is celebrating its 30th anniversary by naming opera director David Radok as honorary grantee. In its rationale, the foundation highlights how his artistic work over nearly four decades has contributed to GöteborgsOperan’s international standing.
The musician and conductor Simon Ljungman is another recipient with ties to the institution. There he has worked on productions such as Kärlek skonar ingen and with his own music projects. In May 2027, he will return together with his partner Fredrik Berglund in Love is all, a tribute concert to the Beatles.
The other cultural grantees are author Lydia Sandgren and visual artist Tarik Kiswanson. The grants will be awarded at an anniversary ceremony in Gothenburg on December 4. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are expected to attend.
The foundation has been awarding grants since 1996 to artists, musicians, actors, and other practitioners in the arts who have distinguished themselves through their work. Affiliation to Gothenburg or West Sweden is part of the grant’s focus.
Previous grantees with ties to the opera house include Julia Sporsén (2025), Hannes Öberg (2024), Kerstin Avemo (2022), Sofie Asplund (2018), Katarina Karnéus (2016), David Lundqvist (2015), and Ann-Kristin Jones (2009).
