Royal Swedish Opera chief conductor between 1923-1933 and 1938-1946. The Royal Swedish Ballet, "Kungliga Baletten", was founded by Gustav III of Sweden in 1773. The current general manager of the Royal Swedish Opera is the Swedish mezzo-soprano Birgitta Svendén. In November 2011, the Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes was named the next chief conductor of the company, as of the 2012–13 season, with an initial contract through the 2016–17 season. Notes Sources Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet. The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on
Royal Swedish Opera the distinction "dramatic" to its name). The building is now simply called "Operan" ("The Opera"), written in golden letters above the middle arch on the front facade. It is a majestic neo-classical building with a magnificent gold foyer "(Guldfoajén)" and elegant marble grand staircase leading to a three-tiered auditorium somewhat smaller than the old theatre. It presently seats 1,200. Most productions are now sung in the original language (with Swedish subtitles), with only a few in Swedish. The Royal Swedish Family of King Carl XVI Gustaf keeps the Royal Box reserved, located in the first tier in the auditorium above