Puccini: Turandot

Soprano Oksana Kramareva is the leading spinto soprano of the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, where she recently sang the roles of Abigaille, Cio Cio San and Aida. She has been a prizewinner in several international competitions, including the 2nd prize at Plácido Domingo’s World Opera Competition OPERALIA 2008 in Québec.

Oksana started her opera career in 2004 as a soloist of the Kharkiv Opera in Ukraine. Soon after, she became a member of the soloist ensemble at the National Opera in Kyiv, where her roles included Tatjana in Eugene Onegin, Lisa in Pique Dame, Leonora in Il Trovatore, the title roles in Aida, Norma and Turandot as well as Yaroslavna in Borodin’s Prince Igor. Numerous guest engagements have taken Oksana around the world, performing Leonora (Il Trovatore) in Germany, Aida in Spain and Japan in 2006, as well as in 2007 at the Tatarstan National Opera, and Yaroslavna with St. Petersburg Opera on a tour to Japan.

In 2008, Oksana appeared in Verdi’s Requiem and as Lisa (Pique Dame) at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The following year, Oksana was invited to sing Aida at the Québec Opera House in Canada and Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) at the Aalto Opera in Essen in 2010. In January 2012, after her maternity leave, Oksana Kramareva returned to the opera stage in the title role of Puccini’s Turandot in Trondheim and the following year, she toured the Netherlands in the title role of Tosca.

In spring 2015, Oksana sang Aida at the Malmö Opera and in the summer she portrayed Tosca at the St. Margarethen Opera Festival. In autumn 2015, she returned to the Malmö Opera in the role of Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) under the baton of Maestro Pierluigi Morandi and, later in the season, was heard as Norma at the Kassel State Opera in Germany. In 2016, she debuted with the role of Abigaille (Nabucco) at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv and later on at the Shalyapin Festival in Kazan.

Oksana’s most recent engagements include Amelia at the Malmö Opera, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on a tour to Japan, Turandot with the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra in Guadalajara, Mexico, and a concert at the Ravenna Festival presenting excerpts from Nabucco performing the role of Abigaille under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti. In June 2022, Oksana sang Aida at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, followed by Abigaille at the Domstufen Festival in Erfurt.

In the fall of 2022, Oksana returned to Karlsruhe as Aida. In 2023/24, she also made her house debut at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf as Turandot.  She returns to Malmö Opera in 2026/27 season with The Foreign Princess in Rusalka and in Düsseldorf as Turandot.

Arsen Soghomonyan has been building his reputation as one of the leading tenors in the dramatic repertoire. He received his musical education under Ter-Oganesyan at the Barkhudaryan music school and with Rafael Hakobyants at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. He has been awarded with awards, including the State Prize of Armenia bestowed upon him by the President of the Republic of Armenia in 2006. He also received the First Prize at the Pavel Lisitsian International Competition.

In the 2025/2026 season, his engagements included Othello at the Wiener Staatsoper, Gioconda at the Greek National Opera in Athens, Othello in Shanghai as part of the Bayerische Staatsoper tour, Turandot at the Royal Opera House in London, Pique Dame at the Opera Royal de Wallonie in Liege and various concerts.

Highlights of the 2026/2027 season include Radamès in Aida at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Hermann in Pique Dame at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Otello in Otello at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Canio in Pagliacci at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, and Calaf in Turandot at LA Opera in Los Angeles.

Soprano Tuuli Takala is one of Finland’s most internationally successful opera singers. She has been a member of the soloist ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden since 2015, where she has performed roles including Violetta Valéry (La traviata), Mimì (La bohème), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), as well as Pamina and the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Recent international highlights include her debuts at the Salzburg Festival in Richard Strauss’s Capriccio in 2024 and at the Bayreuth Festival in Wagner’s Parsifal and Tannhäuser. Takala has also appeared at venues including the Royal Opera House in London, the Berlin and Hamburg State Operas, and Zurich Opera House. In the 2024–2025 season, she performed roles including Violetta and Mimì at the Semperoper and made her role debut as Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

In summer 2025, Takala made her role debut as Liù in Puccini’s Turandot at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. She is also a sought-after concert soloist and has recently appeared as a soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and collaborated with renowned conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Christian Thielemann, Hannu Lintu and Klaus Mäkelä.

Takala holds a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy. In 2013, she won both the Timo Mustakallio Singing Competition and the Kangasniemi Singing Competition, and her distinctions also include being named Young Musician of the Year and Female Soloist of the Year at the Aino Awards.

Bass Timo Riihonen is one of Finland’s internationally successful opera singers. A Master of Music graduate of the Sibelius Academy, Riihonen continued his studies at the International Opera Studio of Zurich Opera and later worked as a soloist at Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Kiel Opera. He has appeared at some of the world’s leading opera houses and festivals, including La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Berlin and Bavarian State Operas, and the Bayreuth Festival.

Riihonen’s extensive repertoire includes roles such as Sarastro (The Magic Flute), King Philip II (Don Carlos), Daland (The Flying Dutchman), Fafner and Fasolt (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Claggart (Billy Budd) and Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier). He has also appeared at Tampere Opera as Daland in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.

His most recent engagements include Sarastro at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, Gurnemanz at the National Theatre in Prague, Baron Ochs at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and Zaccaria in Verdi’s Nabucco at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in summer 2026. In the coming seasons, Riihonen will appear at venues including the Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Finnish National Opera and the Bregenz Festival.

Riihonen won the men’s category of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2008 and received a grant from the Matti Salminen Foundation in 2007. In addition to his opera career, he is a sought-after concert soloist and has performed at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Zurich’s Tonhalle and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Baritone Ville Rusanen is one of Finland’s best-known opera singers. His versatile voice and expressive stage presence have taken him to many major opera houses in Finland and abroad. He has also appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras around the world.

Rusanen has been a frequent guest at the Finnish National Opera as well as at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Rusanen has also enjoyed success on international opera stages. He has performed at venues including La Scala in Milan, Opéra de Lyon in France, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Scottish Opera, the Nederlandse Reisopera, and at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg.

On international concert stages, Rusanen has performed with the Sydney Philharmonia in Australia, at the BBC Proms in London and the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, as well as with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine in France, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège in Belgium, the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He has also appeared as a soloist with most of Finland’s major orchestras.

Ville Rusanen holds a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy. His vocal teachers have included Pertti Rusanen, Jorma Hynninen and Päivi Nisula. He won the men’s category of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2004 and was named Artist of the Year at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2014.

Tenor Tuomas Miettola is among the most sought-after opera singers of his generation in Finland. Following his debut at the Finnish National Opera in 2022, he has appeared at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Oulu City Theatre, Tampere Opera, and Jyväskylä Opera. He has premiered several contemporary operatic works and has performed at festivals including the Ilmajoki Music Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Rauma Festivo, Meidän Festivaali, and the Korsholm Music Festival.

On the concert stage, Tuomas Miettola has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Georg Enescu Festival Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, Vaasa City Orchestra, Lohja City Orchestra, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to receiving the Jorma Hynninen Art Award, Miettola was awarded Second Prize and the Anders Wiklöf Audience Prize at the international Havets Röst Singing Competition. He has also been selected as a scholarship recipient of the Wagner Society of Finland and the Friends of the Salzburg Festival.