Opera Gala

Information

Fri 4 Dec 2026 at 7 PM
Sat 5 Dec 2026 at 4 PM

Tickets €80/70
Pensioners €75/65
Children (under 16) and students €50

Mikko Franck, conductor
Karita Mattila, soprano
Tommi Hakala, baritone
Tampere Opera Choir
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

Tampere Hall will shine with true festive splendour in December as conductor Mikko Franck leads the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tampere Opera Choir, and soloists in two Opera Gala concerts. The concerts bring together two of opera’s brightest stars: soprano Karita Mattila and baritone Tommi Hakala.

One of the most popular artists in Tampere Hall’s history, Karita Mattila last performed in Tampere in December 2018. Based in the United States, the soprano appears regularly at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and concert venues and performs only rarely in Finland. Mattila’s dramatic voice and powerful charisma have captivated audiences and critics alike for more than four decades.

Baritone Tommi Hakala rose to international prominence in 2003 when he became the second Finnish singer to win the prestigious BBC Singer of the World competition. The first winner was Karita Mattila in 1983. Hakala’s international career has taken him to the world’s leading opera stages, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to Semperoper Dresden. He is also a highly sought-after soloist in orchestral and lied concerts.

Mikko Franck began his conducting career at the early age of seventeen, and has since worked with major orchestras and opera houses across the world. He has been described as one of the most distinguished conductors of his generation. Franck last conducted the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in spring 2022.

The Opera Gala celebrates the 80th anniversary of Tampere Opera and brings the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s brilliant autumn season to a close, with the human voice as its central theme.

The programme promises powerful emotions, fateful drama, glorious choral music and shades of National Romanticism. The concerts will open with the overture to Leevi Madetoja’s The Ostrobothnians and the much-loved Song to the Moon from Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka, performed by Karita Mattila. Other highlights include stirring scenes from Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco, a moving monologue from Leoš Janáček’s Jenůfa, famous choral numbers from Georges Bizet’s Carmen and the delicate Coro a bocca chiusa (Humming Chorus) from Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

After the interval, the programme continues with the overture to Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and the title character’s great monologue, sung by Tommi Hakala. Karita Mattila will also perform arias from Wagner’s Die Walküre and Verdi’s Don Carlos. With Finnish Independence Day approaching, the concerts will culminate in Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia, performed by the orchestra, choir and soloists together.

Concert duration is approx. 2 hours, including an intermission.

Programme is subject to change.

Produced by: Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and Tampere Opera

Programme

Leevi Madetoja: Overture to The Ostrobothnians

Antonín Dvořák: Song to the Moon (“Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém”) from Rusalka

Giuseppe Verdi: “Dio di Giuda!” from Nabucco

Leoš Janáček: The Kostelnička’s monologue “Co chvíla” from Jenůfa

Georges Bizet: “Vivat! vivat le Torero!” and “Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre” from Carmen

Giacomo Puccini: Coro a bocca chiusa (Humming Chorus) from Madama Butterfly

Richard Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer)

Richard Wagner: “Die Frist ist um” from The Flying Dutchman

Richard Wagner: “Du bist der Lenz” from Die Walküre

Giuseppe Verdi: “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco

Giuseppe Verdi: “O don fatale” from Don Carlos

Jean Sibelius: Finlandia