Swedish bass John Erik Eleby has been a member of the Royal Swedish Opera’s soloist ensemble since 2000 and has appeared in more than 1,000 performances at the Opera. In autumn 2026, he sings Sciarrone in Puccini’s Tosca.
John Erik Eleby studied at the Royal College of Music and the University College of Opera in Stockholm. During his many years at the Royal Swedish Opera, he has performed a wide-ranging repertoire, with roles including Sarastro in The Magic Flute, the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Escamillo in Carmen, Biterolf in Tannhäuser, Titurel and Klingsor in Parsifal, Kecal in The Bartered Bride, Peter in Hansel and Gretel, Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love, Ferrando in Il trovatore and the Doctor in Wozzeck.
His other roles at the Royal Swedish Opera include Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, the title role in Don Pasquale, Colline in La bohème, La Roche in Capriccio, Grenvil in La traviata, Swallow in Peter Grimes and the Mayor in Jenůfa. He has also appeared in several world premieres, including as Hadar in Carl Unander-Scharin’s Hummelhonung and Dartanjang in the same composer’s Loranga, Mazarin och Dartanjang.
Outside the Royal Swedish Opera, Eleby has sung roles including Escamillo in Carmen and the Commendatore in Don Giovanni at Folkoperan, Don Profondo in Il viaggio a Reims at Göteborg Opera and the title role in Don Giovanni at Norrlandsoperan. He has also sung Scarpia in Tosca with Svenska Operan in Norrköping and the Emperor in Tan Dun’s TEA: A Mirror of Soul with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at Stockholm Concert Hall.
During the 2024/25 season, Eleby appeared in Tosca, Wozzeck, La bohème and The Barber of Seville at the Royal Swedish Opera. In the 2025/26 season, he sang Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Graumann and a Police Officer in Der ferne Klang.
Alongside his operatic work, John Erik Eleby also appears regularly as a concert singer. In 1997, he was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Opera Prize.
