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22.10.2026 / News

Opera Gala: Karita Mattila and Tommi Hakala star in festive concerts at Tampere Hall on 4 and 5 December

Conductor Mikko Franck, soprano Karita Mattila and baritone Tommi Hakala will take to the stage with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tampere Opera Choir for two Opera Gala concerts at Tampere Hall in December 2026. The programme will bring audiences opera’s grand emotions and unforgettable dramatic moments, from Verdi and Wagner to Puccini, Janáček…

The Opera Gala concerts will take place at Tampere Hall on Friday 4 December at 7 pm and Saturday 5 December at 4 pm. Celebrating Tampere Opera’s 80th anniversary, the concerts are also among the highlights of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s autumn season. The human voice, a theme running throughout the orchestra’s autumn season, will take centre stage as internationally acclaimed Finnish soloists and the Tampere Opera Choir join the orchestra.

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.

Produced by Tampere Hall and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera Gala brings together three internationally celebrated figures in Finnish music. Opera star Karita Mattila, one of the most acclaimed sopranos of her generation, returns to Tampere for the first time in eight years.

Tommi Hakala has built a distinguished international career on leading opera stages across Europe and the United States. Tampere audiences will also know him from numerous concerts and opera productions in recent years.

Conductor Mikko Franck is one of Finland’s internationally best-known musicians and has conducted many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and opera companies.

“The Opera Gala offers an opportunity to enjoy moving and powerful music from several operas in a single concert, performed by outstanding soloists and a large choir and orchestra. The human voice has been the central theme of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s entire autumn season, and it is wonderful to bring it to a close with two celebratory concerts featuring our international stars Karita Mattila, Tommi Hakala and Mikko Franck here in Tampere,” says Eija Oravuo, General Manager of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Tampere Opera Choir and Tampere Opera, celebrating its 80th anniversary, also play a central role. The programme features works that have moved audiences for generations and remain among the most beloved classics of the operatic repertoire.

“On the Tampere Hall stage, opera’s great stories meet outstanding Finnish artistry and Tampere Opera’s long history. Taking place just before Finnish Independence Day, these gala concerts pay tribute both to the decades that have gone before and to the vibrant opera scene of today,” says Suvi Leinonen, Artistic Director of Tampere Hall.

Opera Gala

Friday 4 December 2026 at 7 pm and Saturday 5 December 2026 at 4 pm
Main Auditorium, Tampere Hall

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

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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

Tickets for the Opera Gala concerts are available from the Tampere Hall ticket office, the Aplodi culture shop and Lippu.fi ticket outlets and online.

Audiences can complement their gala concert experience with a festive meal at Tampere Hall. Further information and reservations: ravintola@tampere-talo.fi. For group bookings, please contact Tampere Hall’s group sales team: ryhmamyynti@tampere-talo.fi.

Further information

Eija Oravuo
General Manager, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Tel. +358 50 388 7133
eija.oravuo@tampere.fi

Suvi Leinonen
Artistic Director, Tampere Hall
Tel. +358 3 243 4031
suvi.leinonen@tampere-talo.fi
suvi.leinonen@tampere-talo.fi

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