He will receive the award of 125,000 kronor at a gala concert in honor of Björling on May 18.
Bäckström began his career as an aircraft technician in the Air Force. When he further educated himself in Lund, he sang in the choir Svanholm Singers, and after he started working as an aeronautical engineer, he took singing lessons in his free time. A guest appearance in "Aida" at the Malmö Opera led to the invitation to apply to the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen.
Since his debut in 2007 in the operetta "The Merry Widow" in Copenhagen, he has sung at several opera houses in Europe.
"Joachim Bäckström is a fantastic tenor who moves effortlessly between musical and Wagner roles with the same intensity", says Gunnar Lundberg, chairman of the Foundation of the Royal Theatre's Soloists, in a press release.
