A hundred years of the finest opera in the world’s most matchless setting
The Savonlinna Opera Festival 1912-2012

The Savonlinna Opera Festival is one of the most radiant and internationally most significant events in the Finnish cultural calendar – the jewel in the crown of the summer arts season in fact. Aino Ackté, the Festival’s founder and, in her day, the Finnish opera star with the most distinguished international career, was quite right when she said a century ago that a first-class opera performance in a romantic medieval castle surrounded by lake scenery of “supernatural” beauty is a unique and hence unforgettable experience.

From decade to decade the unequalled atmosphere and astounding acoustics of Olavinlinna, this medieval castle, have been casting their magic spell on opera lovers from all over the world.

Looking back

The Savonlinna Opera Festival has had a varied history, developing out of the personal vision of a passionately-dedicated soprano 100 years ago into a leading European arts festival.
The following are some of the milestones along the way.

The 1910s and 1930 (Aino Ackté era)
The 1960s and the 1970s
The 1980s and the 1990s 
The new millennium and the 2010s - Now

Centenary also celebrated in many events outside the season

The spring Opera Concert will be held in Kuopio on March 2, Helsinki on March 4 and St. Petersburg on March 6. Opera lovers will thus be able to enjoy this now traditional concert not only in the fine acoustics of the Kuopio Music Centre but also, at last, in perfect acoustic surroundings at the new Helsinki Music Centre. The orchestra for the Kuopio and Helsinki concerts will be the Kuopio Symphony and in St. Petersburg that of the Mikhailovsky Theatre.

During the spring there will also be an interesting series of talks in the Mirror Room of the Hotel Kämp in Helsinki. These talks devoted to the history of the Savonlinna Opera Festival will be given by experts on Finnish opera and the Festival headed by Dr Pentti Savolainen.
The topics are The Castle years of Aino Ackté , The Opera Festival revival and the Martti Talvela era, Opera Festival premieres 1930-2008 and the Opera Festival’s international partnerships.

Talks about the operas on the centenary programme will be held at the Kalhama & Piippo Gallery (address: Bulevardi 10, Helsinki) as follows: La Fenice, January 17; Free Will, February 14; Peter Grimes, March 13; Den fjerde nattevakt, April 24; and the all-time classics The Magic Flute, The Flying Dutchman and Aida, May 22.

 The superb Savonlinna Opera Festival productions with their casts of stars will once again be enchanting audiences in the 2012 season. You won’t want to miss the 2012 season, will you, with its finer than ever programme!