Ludovic Tézier, Saioa Hernández, Mika Kares, Ewa Plonka Headline Savonlinna Opera Festival’s 2025 Season

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has unveiled its 2025 season. First up is the “550 Years of Olavinlinna” anniversary concert. Erkki Lasonpalo conducts. Soloists will be announced at a later date. Performance Date: July 3, 2025 Ludovic Tézier, Saioa Hernández, Goran Juric, and Johan Krogius headline “Macbeth.” Lorenzo Passerini conducts Ralf Långbacka’s production. Performance Date: July 4 – 15, 2025 Yves Abel conducts {…}

Jun 21, 2023

Karita Mattila, Waltteri Torikka, Sinead Campbell Wallace, Tuomas Katajala Headline Savonlinna Opera Festival’s 2024 Season

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has unveiled its 2024 slate. First up is Verdi’s “Nabucco.” Rodula Gaitanou conducts the production. Performance Date: July 6 – 26, 2024 Tuomas Katajala and Sinead Campbell Wallace will play Lohengrin and Elsa in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” with Karita Mattila singing Ortrud and Lucio Gallo appearing as Telramund. Rounding out the cast is Timo Riihonen. The opera {…}

Jun 20, 2023

Lisette Oropesa, Amitai Pati, Ville Rusanen, Dong-won Seo, & Dorottya Láng Headline Savonlinna Opera Festival 2023

(Photo Credit: Steven Harris) The Savonlinna Opera Festival is set to open later this month. Here is a rundown of the 2023 slate. First up is “Romeo et Juliette,” conducted by Yves Abel and directed by Amy Lane. The opera stars superstar Lisette Oropesa and Amitai Pati in Cast A, with Marjukka Tepponen and Antonio Poli in the second cast. {…}

Sep 23, 2022

Savonlinna Opera Festival Announces Departure of General Director Jan Strandholm

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced that Artistic Director Ville Matvejeff will take over the company following the departure of Jan Strandholm, who has stepped down as General Director. “It has been a great honor and joy to head the Savonlinna Opera Festival for the past ten years. I feel privileged to have worked with such a top team, which {…}

Dec 5, 2021

Savonlinna Opera Festival Appoints New Chorus Master

(Credit: Gert Krautbauer) The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced the appointment of Jan Schweiger as its new Chorus Master. Schweiger studied choral and orchestral conducting and subsequently graduated with honors from the Mozarteum University Salzburg. He has worked as the chorusmaster and conductor of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Belgium since 2014. Prior to this, his engagements have included conducting the {…}

Jun 1, 2021

Adina Aaron, Ludovic Tézier, Helena Juntunen, Matthew Polenzani, Tuija Knihtilä Headline Savonlinna Opera Festival 2022

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced its 2022 festival, which will feature five operas and several concerts. First up will be a new production of Verdi’s “Aida” by director Phillipp Himmelmann who asserts that “’Aida’ must be retold, because the world has changed irrevocably.” The opera will star Adina Aaron and Helena Juntunen sharing the title role alongside Gaston Rivero, {…}

May 14, 2021

Savonlinna Opera Festival Cancels Opera Performances for 2021

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced it will cancel all opera performances for the 2021 season. In a press release, the festival said, “the pandemic outlook for this July in Finland is still so uncertain that opera performances and the orchestral galas with Karita Mattila will be canceled.” However, the festival announced that other concerts and the national Timo Mustakallio {…}

Dec 9, 2020

Karita Mattila & Annalisa Stroppa Lead Savonlinna Opera Festival 2021

(Credits: Lauri Eriksson / Victor Santiago) The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced its 2021 slate, which will include several opera productions and a recital by famed Finnish soprano Karita Mattila. Bizet’s opera “Carmen” will feature Amadi Lagha as Don José, Andrei Kymach and Tapani Plathan alternating in the role of Escamillo, and Tuija Knihtilä in the title role. Performance dates: {…}

Jun 26, 2020

How to Stream Karita Mattila’s Recital from Savonlinna Opera Festival

(Image Provided by Savonlinna Opera Festival) The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced that it will broadcast Karita Mattila’s recital to homes around the world starting on July 1, 2020. The broadcast will be made in collaboration with Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle. ”I’m really looking forward to singing at the castle and performing with Ville the program we specifically put together {…}

Jun 16, 2020

Karita Mattila, Soile Isokoski Headline Savonlinna Opera Festival’s New Summer Program

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has announced three performances for this summer. The festival, which has moved its originally planned 2020 edition to 2021, will open its three-concert series with a recital by Karita Mattila. Accompanied by Ville Matvejeffin, the soprano will perform music by Puccini, Dvořák, Brahms, Sibelius, Merikanto, Wagner, Mackeben, Romberg, and Gershwin. Performance Date: July 1, 2020 Aulis {…}

Nov 8, 2019

Karita Mattila Adds Concert At Savonlinna Festival

Karita Mattila will provide an extra night of singing to celebrate her 60th birthday at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. After having announced the gala at the festival earlier this year, the concert was sold out immediately. As a result, the festival and soprano have added an extra night for Monday, July 27, 2020. The program for the gala will feature {…}

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