Margareta Svensson

Margareta Svensson Riggs
Margareta Svensson Riggs in Los Angeles September 2015

Margareta Svensson Riggs (born Ulla Margareta Elisabeth Svensson; April 22, 1968 in Varberg) [1] is a Swedish singer, pianist, songwriter, actress and television personality.[2][3][4][5]

Early life

Already as a 5-year-old, Margareta Svensson performed her first public performance at a Red Cross Christmas party, and soon thereafter she went with her mother, Inga-Lill Svensson, a registered nurse, to sing for the sick and elderly at the local hospital. With an extensive after-school music program and busy performing schedule, Svensson went on to study dance at Harvard University, and acting at Calle Flygare Teaterskola, Stockholm, Sweden, acting, musical theater, and film and television at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.

Career

At 18, Svensson boarded Portuguese cruise ship MS Funchal as a singer-pianist and a headliner, and from there on she performed throughout Sweden and Europe. While playing Gothia Towers in Gothenburg, Frank Sinatra was performing next-door at Scandinavium. After the concert the Sinatra band came to see Svensson. Sinatra-drummer, Gregg Field, liked Svensson's original music and invited her to come to Los Angeles to record.

As a singer-pianist Margareta Svensson has opened five casino resorts in Las Vegas. National, daily, Swedish newspaper Expressen wrote "Jackpot in Las Vegas".[6] In 1999, Svensson opened Mandalay Bay alongside Bob Dylan and Luciano Pavarotti,[7] The Venetian Las Vegas where she had her own act at La Scena, The Resort at Summerlin (now known as JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa,) in the year 2000 The Aladdin (now known as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino,) and in 2005 Steve Wynn recruited her to open Wynn Las Vegas. She has held engagements at numerous other Las Vegas casinos and resorts, including MGM Grand Las Vegas, Bellagio (resort), The Mirage, Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Bally's Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas.[5]

Svensson has also performed and held resident engagements at among other places The Grand Hotel Stockholm[8][9][10] , Sweden, The Dorchester,[11] London, UK, The Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge,[12] The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and Montage Beverly Hills where she was responsible for all music, and she has traveled the world both as a headliner as well as a piano-singer, and performed for many superstars, including Sir Paul McCartney,[13] Whoopi Goldberg, Stevie Wonder, Chevy Chase, Michael Bolton, BB King,[14] Sir Tom Jones[15] and Kiss and world leaders like Margaret Thatcher, to name a few.[16]

Her extensive career as a singer-pianist and performer, led to a lead on the fifth season of Svenska Hollywoodfruar broadcast on TV3. Season 5 has had the highest ratings of the seasons so far,[17][18] and the show is claimed to have saved the network.[19] Svenska Hollywoodfruar features Margareta Svensson both as a singer, pianist, performer, songwriter and recording artist,[20][21] as well as a vocal coach.[22]

Personal life

Margareta Svensson is married to American vocal coach Seth Riggs,[23] known for clients such as Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Madonna and Natalie Cole[24] The two met when Margareta Svensson came to Seth Riggs for singing lessons in the mid-1990s. In 2008 they became a couple, and four years later, in 2012, they married and their daughter Samantha was born.[25][26][27]

Teaching and Workshops

Seth Riggs and Margareta Svensson Riggs teaching in China, September 2013

Margareta Svensson Riggs' husband, Seth Riggs, has trained her not only as a singer, but also as a teacher to teach his technique, the patented and trademarked Speech Level Singing technique. As instructors, in addition to giving private lessons, Margareta and Seth Riggs conduct vocal workshops and master classes together around the world.[28][29][30]

On Giving Back

In 2013 Svensson read about Angelina Jolie having tested positive for BRCA1, a gene mutation that drastically increases the risk of ovarian- and breast cancer, and Joli's mother having died from ovarian cancer. Svensson's own mother, Inga-Lill Svensson, had also died from ovarian cancer, and Svensson asked to be tested for BRCA. Svensson tested positive for BRCA1 and while waiting for preventive surgery, an MRI revealed early stage breast cancer. Well and healthy, Margareta Svensson Riggs shared her story in 2015 in hopes to pass on the gift of helping to yet others at risk.[31][32][33]

References

  1. ↑ "Varberg kommer alltid vara "hemma" för mig".
  2. ↑ "Margareta Svensson Riggs gallery".
  3. ↑ "Svenska Hollywoodfruar on TV3".
  4. ↑ "Hon är nytillskottet i Hollywoodfruar".
  5. 1 2 "Pianoduell i Las Vegas före Varbergsbesök".
  6. ↑ "Jackpot i Las Vegas".
  7. ↑ "Margareta from Tångaberg shares stage with Dylan".
  8. ↑ "At the piano at the Grand Hotel and in Las Vegas 1".
  9. ↑ "At the piano at the Grand Hotel and in Las Vegas 2".
  10. ↑ "At the piano at the Grand Hotel and in Las Vegas 3".
  11. ↑ "Neil Sedaka and Margareta Svensson Trio at the Dorchester, London".
  12. ↑ "Hon är stjärnornas stjärna".
  13. ↑ "When I was missing a drummer, Paul McCartney jumped in".
  14. ↑ "BB King asked me to marry him".
  15. ↑ "I have experienced so many magical evenings at the piano".
  16. ↑ "Se bilder från Hollywoodfruns privata fotoalbum".
  17. ↑ "Starkt uppåt för Hollywoodfruarna".
  18. ↑ "MMS-HotTop-Television Viewing Data".
  19. ↑ "Hollywoodfruarna en kassako - räddade TV3".
  20. ↑ "Låten bakom Hollywoodfruarnas storgräl".
  21. ↑ "Margaretas hånlåt om Gunilla:"Ytliga attityd"".
  22. ↑ "Hollywoodfruarnas ordkrig trappas upp".
  23. ↑ "Hollywoodfrun sa ja till Seth, 81".
  24. ↑ "Seth Riggs on IMDb".
  25. ↑ "Margareta Svensson: "Graviditeten var fantastisk"".
  26. ↑ "Hollywoodfrun Margareta Svensson har fått barn".
  27. ↑ "Margareta Svensson (43) fikk barn med Seth Riggs (81), Norwegian VG, published Aug 4, 2012".
  28. ↑ "Margareta Svensson Riggs and Seth Riggs in an interview". for Swedish Hallands Nyheter July 22, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Seth Riggs and Margareta Svensson Riggs on New China TV".
  30. ↑ "Se Hollywoodfrun sjunga upp".
  31. ↑ "Angelina Jolie saved my life".
  32. ↑ "Hollywoodfrun överlevde cancern tack vare Angelina".
  33. ↑ "Hollywoodfrun om mötet med Jolie". Archived from the original on October 1, 2015.
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