ANNIKA BÄCKSTRÖM (Chorus) is known to West Bay Opera for her role as Annina in La Traviata. At the Malmö Stadsteater, the soprano has played Gilda in Rigoletto, Micaela in Carmen, Nanetta in Falstaff, and Adele in Die Fledermaus. Other roles have included Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at the Stockholm Water Festival, as well as roles in The Ballad of Baby Doe, I Copuleti/Montecchi, and Ariadne auf Naxos. Sweden’s Ministry of Culture has sponsored Bäckström’s tours of performances of classical Swedish music throughout Scandinavia, Russia, and northern Europe. She received her M.A. and B.F.A. in Theater and Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana.