THE SUGAR FACTORY 2026 to Present Four New Finnish Short Operas
Finnish National Opera's yearlong new-works programme concludes with premieres including THE MOUTHPIECE and THE REQUEST.
The first year of The Sugar Factory – New Opera Works programme at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet culminates in the premieres of four new Finnish short opera works at Almi Hall on 13 August 2026. Financed by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the programme aims to support the making of new opera in Finland.
The Sugar Factory's first season is complete. Over the course of a year, twelve artists – four composers, four librettists and four directors – have developed their new works with the support of mentors, international experts and the artistic staff of the Finnish National Opera. The creative process has included workshops, working on dramaturgy and composition, experiments in performance, and conversations about what new opera can be today. No previous experience of making opera was required of the artists selected for The Sugar Factory, which in itself has freed up the creative process.
”One of the most interesting aspects of The Sugar Factory is the artists' genuine desire to bring out fresh perspectives, unburdened by tradition. Our job is to listen to them and support them,” says Thomas de Mallet Burgess, Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera.
The artists have been guided in their work by internationally acclaimed guests, such as directors Martin Lloyd-Evans and Olivia Fuchs, librettist Royce Vavrek, composers Jonathan Dove and Lynne Plowman, and conductor Dominic Wheeler. Their support has continued through the entire creative process, from the first outline of an idea to finished works on stage.
The result is The Sugar Factory 2026: four very different operas exploring the topical and deeply human themes of trauma, social inequality, technology, identity, fantasy, violence, love and transformation. The short opera works will be performed one after another in a single evening.
A single trip to the dentist can change a child's entire life. A story that begins in a sterile waiting room unravels into a feverish journey through the grotesque kingdom inside a sickly mouth, which becomes a showcase of class divides and childhood fears. Dark humour, social commentary and vivid imagination are intertwined in The Mouthpiece, composed by Stephen James Webb to a libretto by Susi Siriya Orenius. The work is directed by Pelzi Peltola, who has also designed the sets and costumes.
In The Request, a young man commissions a sex robot replica of his childhood self. The opera explores memory, identity and a generation shaped by digital intimacy, mainstreamed pornography and technologies that increasingly influence how we see ourselves and one another. The music is by Eeva Kontu and the libretto by Jenna Viro. The opera is directed by Bálint Barcsai, with costume design by Erika Turunen.
Emerge: Oops…life! is a dark comedy about three women who witness a violent incident on the street. The moment forces them to confront their own traumas. The work looks at womanhood from three different perspectives. In its episodic structure, time takes on a central musical and theatrical role, and cinematic video material is integrated into the live stage space. The opera is directed by Anna-Maria Lipponen, with music by Miika Hyytiäinen and a libretto by Ilmari Nera. The costumes are designed by Erika Turunen.
love is a rebellious bird is a ritual between carmen's death and rebirth. A flock of black birds carries messages between darkness and light, guiding the audience into an opera experience in which love, death and transformation intertwine. The old has to die before the new can be born. The work is composed by Sid Hille to a libretto by Carmen Baltzar. It is directed by Baltzar together with Sara Melleri, with costume design by Erika Turunen.
Jukka Niiranen has designed the lighting for all four works. Tinja Salmi has been responsible for set design in collaboration with the creative teams. The performance is conducted by Kaapo Ijas.
In The Sugar Factory 2026, seasoned opera artists, rising stars and voices from beyond the opera world take to the stage together.
