Tampere Opera: Her Voice

A new and powerful chamber opera celebrates women and Tampere Opera.

Date 23.10.2026 19.00

VenueKoskipuisto, Tampere

Information

Dancing Waters will be featured as part of the performance of the opera *Her Voice*. Photo: Mikko Vares

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

Duration: approximately 20 minutes.

Her Voice is a new and powerful chamber opera celebrating 120 years of women’s right to vote in Finland and the 80th anniversary of Tampere Opera. The work will premiere on the opening of the Tampere Festival of Light on Friday, 23 October 2026, in the open urban space of Koskipuisto Park in Tampere.

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 role of the young factory girl named Toini is sung by Villa Murtagh.

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.

“It is wonderful to create an opera that is accessible to everyone in an authentic setting. As I began writing the story of the second character, young Toini, and her world, the history of my own loved ones also began to find its way into the libretto,” says the opera’s librettist and director, Marika Vapaavuori.

For the outdoor performance, the orchestral parts will be recorded by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ruut Kiiski. Tampere Opera Choir will perform live in Koskipuisto Park. The choir is trained by chorus master Heikki Liimola.

The piece also features 50 dancers from Balettikoulu Hannele Suomalainen. The dancers portray young factory workers. The choreography is by Riikka Korpi.

Credits

Minna Leinonen, composer
Marika Vapaavuori, libretto and stage direction
Ruut Kiiski, conductor
Liisa Vallius, costume design
Riikka Korpi, choreography
Heikki Liimola, chorus master
Jouni Rissanen, artistic producer

Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Tampere Opera Choir

Cast

Tuuli Takala, Hilja Pärssinen, Member of the Parliament of Finland
Villa Murtagh, Toini, young cotton mill girl

Lari Halme, foreman
Marko Tuupainen, factory man

Tampere Opera Choir, factory workers

Dance group, young factory workers
In collaboration with: Balettikoulu Hannele Suomalainen

Subject to change.

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

The chamber opera is supported by the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Soloists

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.

Despite her young age, Villa has already gained extensive experience in acting and performing. Her acting career began on the Main Stage of Tampere Workers’ Theatre, where she played the title role in the musical Matilda at the age of eight. Villa tackled the demanding role with professionalism and loved every moment on stage.

Villa later returned to the Main Stage of Tampere Workers’ Theatre as Summer in the musical School of Rock. Her role as Matilda opened doors to new projects, and she has also become known as the Finnish voice of the title character in Bluey. Villa loves singing and performing and is thrilled to take on the role of Toini in the opera Her Voice.