San Francisco Opera to Present American Premiere of ‘Innocence’
By Francisco SalazarThe San Francisco Opera is set to present the American premiere of composer Kaija Saariaho’s final opera, “Innocence.”
The opera, which will be performed, at the War Memorial Opera House from June 1 to 21, 2024, had its world premiere at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2021.
“Innocence” is a 105-minute opera in five acts without intermission that is performed in nine languages including English, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, French, Swedish, German, Spanish, and Greek.
Director Simon Stone directed the original production which will be remounted by Louise Bakker for its American premiere and the ensemble cast will feature mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose, tenor Miles Mykkanen, soprano Lilian Farahani, baritone Rod Gilfry, sopranos Claire de Sévigné and Lucy Shelton, and multi-genre instrumentalist and vocalist Vilma Jää.
The opera will be livestreamed on June 12 and will be available to watch on demand for 48 hours.