Past Shows
Peer Gynt
Apr 11 – May 22, 2014
Peer Gynt travels the world, only to return home after decades of real and imaginary adventures to his Solveig. Henrik Ibsen's classic play depicts the...
Der Rosenkavalier
May 13 – May 21, 2014
With its orchestral colours and enticing melodies, Der Rosenkavalier exudes Viennese elegance, making it one of Richard Strauss' most popular operas. Aging Marchellin clings to...
Tango! – from Buenos Aires to Seinäjoki
Apr 30 – May 6, 2014
Interpretations of Argentinian and Finnish tango electrify the Opera Main Stage in an evening of dance created and hosted by Finnish dance legend Jorma Uotinen....
La Bohème
Mar 21 – May 3, 2014
It is a frigid winter in Paris; the moon shines over the roofs of the city. But the virtues of art and romance warm the...
Beauty and the Beast
Feb 21 – Mar 28, 2014
A witch's spell turns a handsome Prince into a beast and only true love can save him. But who could ever love a hideous beast?...
Don Carlos
Mar 6 – Mar 22, 2014
Father and son in love with the same woman, the struggle for freedom, a lonely king, and the conflict between the powers of heaven and...
Jen?fa
Jan 24 – Feb 27, 2014
Finnish star soprano Karita Mattila continues her series of unforgettable interpretations of Janá?ek. This searing description of a young woman's fate is among the most...
Don Giovanni
Jan 31 – Feb 20, 2014
Don Giovanni seduces and charms without remorse, until the day he receives a mysterious dinner guest. Mozart composed this exquisite opera seria around the notorious...
Bella Figura
Jan 18 – Feb 1, 2014
Bella Figura is a triple bill featuring works by three world-famous choreographers. George Balanchine created The Four Temperaments for his own company in 1946. It...
The Snow Queen
Nov 28 – Jan 4, 2014
Kenneth Greve's ballet for the whole family is based on the tale by H.C. Andersen from 1845. The principal characters are Kerttu and Kai, who...
Turandot
Nov 23 – Dec 31, 2013
Turandot beheads all her wooers, but Prince Calaf risks it all to defy the peril. Can his love melt the ice princess' heart? Set in...
La Cenerentola
Dec 11 – Dec 30, 2013
The familiar Cinderella tale as told by Rossini is a real musical fireworks display with one accomplished, jolly and charming number following the other. A...
Christmas Music Tour
Nov 28 – Dec 19, 2013
As the holiday season draws nearer and the jubilee year draws to a close, the Finnish National Opera Orchestra leaves Helsinki behind and sets out...
Photo Soup
Nov 16 – Dec 5, 2013
A cleaning woman Sofia at the popular soup restaurant dreams of waiting on tables. When the shift manager and the restaurant's sole table attendant leave...
Die tote Stadt
Nov 11 – Dec 3, 2013
Erich Korngold's raging music merges with Kasper Holten's talented direction and Camilla Nylund's heartfelt performance to produce one of the Finnish National Opera's most celebrated...
Dance Schools' Contemporary Dance Happening
Nov 23
The event will feature enthusiasts of contemporary, jazz and modern dance from all around Finland. The energetic dance numbers to be staged in Almi Hall...
Music in the foyer (season 2013-14)
Aug 31 – Nov 23, 2013
Saturday afternoon matinee in the main foyer of the Opera House offers a treat for the ear and a welcome moment of relaxation....
Deca Dance Helsinki
Nov 1 – Nov 20, 2013
World-famous choreographer Ohad Naharin returns to Finland with a new production: Deca Dance Helsinki. Naharin describes his new work as a mix of the here-and-now...
Finnish National Ballet Season’s Best 2013
Nov 15
The Finnish National Ballet presents a collection of its most captivating current repertoire in a visiting performance at Espoo's Louhi Hall....
Sleeping Beauty (autumn 2013)
Oct 4 – Nov 9, 2013
Sleeping Beauty is one of the best-loved ballets in the world. The composer himself never lived to see how popular it would become in time....
The Magic Flute
Oct 11 – Nov 8, 2013
An immortal score, engaging fairy tale, and light-hearted farce combine to form a depiction of mankind's journey towards enlightenment. The content of The Magic Flute...
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Nov 1 – Nov 2, 2013
In November, the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus will perform in two concerts at St. John's Church in Helsinki 11/1 and Ristinkirkko Church in...
Don Pasquale
Sep 27 – Oct 30, 2013
Elderly bachelor Don Pasquale experiments with married life and learns a lesson he won't soon forget. Enjoy Donizetti's sunny music and delightful comic predicaments in...
Liontamer
Oct 19 – Oct 29, 2013
"He snores, he roars, he is the world's greatest lion!" Liontamer is a fun new opera fairy tale incorporating familiar melodies from Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini,...
The Human Voice / The Bear
Oct 10 – Oct 19, 2013
The Almi Hall hosts an evening of opera in a double bill featuring Francis Poulenc's La voix humaine (The Human Voice) and William Walton's The...
Carmen
Sep 7 – Oct 3, 2013
Don José falls in love with the feisty gypsy girl Carmen. But Carmen's love runs free - it cannot be confined. José's blood begins to...
Dance United
Sep 20 – Sep 28, 2013
The Finnish National Opera opens its doors to two visiting Finnish dance companies. Choreographer Carl Knif brings his company to the Almi Hall for the...
Seven Brothers
Sep 6 – Sep 26, 2013
A new perspective on a familiar story is born when the riotous brothers of Finnish lore collide with the world of ballet. In the work's...
Making Music with the Masters
Sep 7
The 'Masters in the House' concert combines the future hopes of the music world with professional orchestral musicians, as students of the metropolitan area music...
Organ Night and Aria Festival: Nuit d’été
Aug 29
As August skies begin to darken, the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus present a heady mix of summer melodies at the closing concert of...
Daphne
Aug 17
Finnish National Opera orchestra celebrates the 50th anniversary on a guest appearance at the Helsinki Music Centre. The venue will play host to a production...
Tristan and Isolde
May 17 – Jun 3, 2013
An opera about the ecstasy of love The glowing passion of the overture plunges the listener into a whirl of yearning, love, fulfilment and death...
Sleeping Beauty
May 23 – May 30, 2013
Sleeping Beauty is one of the best-loved ballets in the world. The composer himself never lived to see how popular it would become in time....
L'elisir d'amore
Apr 26 – May 22, 2013
Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore is a perennial favourite among comic operas. And no wonder: it is a happy blend of the mishaps of lovesick characters...
Nijinsky?Elo?Inger
Mar 28 – May 11, 2013
This triple bill from the spring brings together three highly popular productions in a new combination. Tonight we will be touched by dance three times...
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle / I pagliacci
Apr 12 – May 10, 2013
Secrets revealed Duke Bluebeard brings his new wife home to his castle. She sees seven doors and begins to open them. What does she find?...
Robin Hood
Mar 2 – Apr 13, 2013
An exciting adventure opera is in store for the whole family as Robin Hood takes to the stage at the FNO in March! The famous...
Fotosoppa
Dec 14 – Apr 3, 2013
A popular soup restaurant is badly in need of new wait staff. The restaurant's cleaning woman Sofia dreams of waiting on tables, but the haughty...
Le nozze di Figaro
Mar 8 – Mar 30, 2013
Marcellina wants Figaro, who wants to marry Susanna, who is also desired by the Count, which does not amuse the Countess, who in turn is...
Swan Lake
Jan 18 – Mar 15, 2013
The new production of Swan Lake by Kenneth Greve, Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet, is a fresh yet tradition-conscious new interpretation. "I have...
Bella Figura
Feb 15 – Mar 14, 2013
Bella Figura is a triple bill featuring works by three world-famous choreographers. The title piece of the evening is one of Ji?í Kylián's best-known works....
Dance Battle
Feb 25 – Feb 28, 2013
Created by Star Dancer Minna Tervamäki specifically for young audiences, Tanssimatsi (Dance Battle) returns to Almi Hall in February. Its movement language is based on...
Thaïs
Jan 25 – Feb 28, 2013
An opera of blazing colour - premiere 25th of January 2013 Bright golden music, exotic colours, a clash of love and religion - no wonder...
La Traviata
Dec 31 – Feb 2, 2013
Alfredo's family does not approve of him associating with a woman of low reputation, and Violetta is eventually forced to part from him. The young...
Un ballo in maschera
Dec 17 – Jan 11, 2013
Governor Riccardo is in love with Amelia, the wife of Renato. This gives Renato an excellent reason to join a conspiracy against the Governor. At...
Rigoletto
Dec 3 – Jan 2, 2013
Rigoletto, the jester at the court of the Duke, is cursed by a nobleman whose daughter has been seduced by the Duke and whom Rigoletto...
Tosca
Nov 5 – Nov 24, 2012
Rome, 1800. Scarpia, the chief of police, has his headquarters at the Palazzo Farnese. Tosca kills Scarpia to save the life of her imprisoned beloved,...
Helsinki International Ballet Competition, 2012
May 29 – May 31, 2012
Aiming HIGH - On the road to the stars! Helsinki International Ballet competition in the Finnish National Opera 29.5. - 06/07/2012 National Opera will again...
Rankanen-Elo-Saarinen
May 11 – May 26, 2012
Rankanen-Elo-Saarinen The premiere talents of Finnish contemporary dance join forces on the Finnish National Opera's Main Stage in a triple bill of dance. The names...
Purge
Apr 20 – May 25, 2012
Finnish author Sofi Oksanen's Purge has earned overwhelming international success as both a novel and play. Next we will see how this moving story about...
Music in the foyer
Jan 14 – May 19, 2012
Saturday afternoon matinee in the main foyer of the Opera House offers a treat for the ear and a welcome moment of relaxation, with members...
Pelléas and Mélisande
Mar 23 – Apr 28, 2012
Claude Debussy's dreamy and shimmering Symbolist opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, was last performed at the Finnish National Opera over 60 years ago. Now the enchanting...
La Bayadère
Mar 30 – Apr 27, 2012
Set in mythical India, La bayadère is one of the masterpieces of 19th-century Russian ballet, a brilliant example of a grand spectacular production with huge...
Rusalka
Mar 3 – Mar 29, 2012
Rusalka Antonin Dvorák Director Richard Jones' reading of Dvo?ak's best-known opera is rugged and human: the water-nymph Rusalka who aspires to become human learns about...
Coppélia
Feb 24 – Mar 24, 2012
Marc Ribaud has choreographed a new interpretation of the 1870 ballet classic Coppélia, transferring the setting to the fantastical world of the famous French filmmaker...
KadosKissa (Missing Cat)
Feb 3 – Mar 3, 2012
In Count Forelli's kitchen, the kitchen maid Pulmu Kupponen dreams of opening a milk bar of her own, while the butler (former court musician) Taisto...
La fanciulla del west
Feb 4 – Mar 1, 2012
La fanciulla del west Giacomo Puccini During the gold rush in California in 1849, everything was expensive - but human life was cheap. Minnie, living...
Julius Caesar
Jan 20 – Feb 29, 2012
Julius Caesar Georg Friedrich Händel Passion runs deep when Giulio Cesare arrives in Egypt and encounters the beautiful Cleopatra for the first time. In 1724,...
My name is Finger Radio
Feb 8 – Feb 18, 2012
Nimeni on Sormiradio (My name is Finger Radio) is a foyer ballet featuring the friendship of two very different characters seeking their place in the...
Don Quixote
Feb 1 – Feb 11, 2012
Don Quixote is one of the major works in classical ballet - with a Spanish flair. This upbeat version by Patrice Bart is based on...
Finnish qualifying for ballet competitions
Feb 11
Excitement will be in the air on February 11 in the Almi Hall, when approximately 30 dancers will compete for the right to participate in...
Paula & Mikko
Feb 10
One of Mikko Franck's favourite artists from the popular music scene in Finland is megastar hit songstress Paula Koivuniemi. The talents of Mikko and Paula...
Your Choice! concert
Feb 8
Your Choice! concert FNO performs a selection of favourites On February 8, Mikko Franck will lead the Finnish National Opera orchestra in a night of...
90th Anniversary Gala of the Finnish National Ballet
Jan 27 – Jan 28, 2012
The anniversary year of the Finnish National Ballet will begin with two celebratory galas on January 27 and 28, featuring selections from the most significant...
Il viaggio a Reims
Jan 14 – Jan 26, 2012
Il viaggio a Reims Gioachino Rossini Il viaggio a Reims is set in a spa hotel where dignitaries from all over Europe have assembled on...
La rondine
Jan 18
La rondine Giacomo Puccini Magda, a kept woman in high society, disguises herself as a wanton working-class girl and falls in love with a callow...
Videos