Nicolai Elsberg (b. 1989). Danish bass. Holds a Bachelor in contemporary music from The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen (2014). Back then he was lead singer of the critically acclaimed Danish band, Spillemændene, and collaborated and toured with the world famous indie-group, Efterklang. With the feeling that the microphone was limiting his voice, Elsberg moved from rhythmic music into the world of classical singing and opera. From 2016 Nicolai studied classical singing at The Royal Danish Academy of Music with the renowned Susanna Eken as voice teacher. In 2019 he was invited for the Vocal Residency at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Later that summer he sang the role of Il Commendatore (Don Giovanni) and Colline (La Bohème) at The Copenhagen Opera Festival. Nicolai graduated in the summer of 2020 to join the soloist ensemble at The Royal Danish Opera (RDO). Despite the pandemic, Elsberg has in 2020 been fortunate to do three productions at RDO: Plutone (L’Orfeo), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte) and Watchman & Masquerade Master in the Carl Nielsen-opera, Masquerade, where he also jumped in as a cover and sang the main role of Jeronimus. Elsberg‘s rich sonorous voice has also caught the attention of contemporary composers such as Karsten Fundal and Rasmus Zwicki, who has written respectively an opera and an oratorio specifically for Elsbergs rare serious bass.

 In 2020 Nicolai received three talent prizes from his home country: The Copenhagen Opera Festival Talent Prize, The Léonie Sonning Talent Prize and The Queen Ingrid Honorary Grant. 
 In June 2021 Nicolai represented Denmark in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition as one of the 16 singers chosen from a record high number of applicants. In October he sang in the Operalia Competition at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In the 2021-22 season Nicolai will sing Colline, Il Commendatore and Mozarts Requiem at RDO as well as both News Editor and Doctor in The Nose by Shostakovich. Future engagements holds a number of house debuts including Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Opéra de Lausanne and Opéra National du Rhin.