Tampere Opera: Her Voice

Information

Fri 23 October 2026
Tampere Opera: Her Voice
Koskipuisto, Tampere
Free admission

Tuuli Takala, soprano
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ruut Kiiski
Tampere Opera Choir, conducted by Heikki Liimola

Her Voice is a new and powerful chamber opera celebrating 120 years of women’s suffrage in Finland and the 80th anniversary of Tampere Opera. The work will premiere on the opening of the Tampere Light Festival on Friday, 23 October 2026, in the open urban space of Koskipuisto in Tampere. The exact performance time will be announced later.

Her Voice brings to the forefront Hilja Pärssinen (1876–1935), a real but lesser-known political figure compared to Miina Sillanpää (1866–1952). Pärssinen was one of the 19 women elected to the Finnish Parliament following the historic 1906 election.

The music is composed by Minna Leinonen. The libretto and stage direction are by Marika Vapaavuori. The role of Hilja Pärssinen will be performed by Tuuli Takala, one of Finland’s most internationally acclaimed sopranos.

The opera portrays a time when women fought not only for the right to vote but also for very concrete social reforms, such as the regulation of child labor. The libretto moves at the intersection of the political and the personal, highlighting Tampere’s iconic industrial history and its “cotton mill girls.”

“Her Voice is a spectacular outdoor production open to everyone. This insightful chamber opera uniquely combines Tampere’s working-class history, social discourse, and the art of opera in a way that invites large audiences to become part of the experience. With this anniversary commission, we are proud to honor the history of women’s suffrage in Finland and the legacy of Tampere Opera,” says Suvi Leinonen, Artistic Director of Tampere Opera.

“Composing an opera, even a chamber opera, is a special milestone for a composer. In my work, interaction lies at the heart of artistic creation, and the way Her Voice integrates the world of opera into urban art exceeds all my expectations. In the music, the Tammerkoski rapids and the cotton mill roar, while at the center the soprano soloist carries the multilayered story forward, supported by a rhythmically striking choir. Throughout the work, motifs of the old Spinning Waltz shimmer and intertwine, culminating in a song familiar to many at the end,” says composer Minna Leinonen.

For the outdoor performance, the orchestral parts will be recorded by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ruut Kiiski. Tampere Opera Choir, conducted by Heikki Liimola, will perform live in Koskipuisto. A major visual element of the production will be the spectacular projections of the Light Festival on the walls of the factory buildings and across the rushing Tammerkoski rapids.

Duration: approximately 20 minutes.

Subject to change.

Production: Tampere Opera, in cooperation with the City of Tampere