In 1928 she joined the roster of artists at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm where she made her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto under the baton of Armas Järnefelt.
That same year she also sang Gilda for her debut at the Royal Opera House in London, where she subsequently appeared in 1932–1933.
In 1940, she created the role of Ingeborg in the world premiere of Arne Eggen's Olav Liljekrans at the National Theatre.
[1] During the Second World War, Schønning appeared in London in an extensive series of concerts with Waldemar Johnsen.
The couple later settled in Sandnes, and Schønning taught out of a studio on nearby Stavanger until her retirement from teaching at the age of 80.