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SFO Innocence

Acclaimed by the New York Times as a “masterpiece.”

Innocence

By Kaija Saariaho, Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière

Overview

Composer

Kaija Saariaho

Original Finnish Libretto

Sofi Oksanen

Multilingual libretto

Aleksi Barrière

Dates

June 1-21, 2024

Languages

English, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, French, Swedish, German, Spanish and Greek

Price

Starting at $26

Run Time

1 hour, 50 minutes (no intermission)

Healing at the Edge of Tragedy.

A joyous wedding celebration takes a shocking turn when the darkest of secrets is revealed and a young bride faces an impossible decision. 

Stela, Lilian Farahani, believes she’s found love with her new husband, played by Miles Mykkanen. But amid the joy of their wedding reception, a waitress recognizes the groom as the brother of a gunman in a school shooting ten years ago. And the bride doesn’t know.

Premiered in Aix-en-Provence in 2021 and making its highly-anticipated American premiere in San Francisco, Innocence makes clear the power of the opera stage to explore critical stories in uniquely impactful ways. 

See a Performance

Join us 55 minutes before every performance for an engaging 20-minute overview of the opera.  Click on the below Learn More button for more information.

Pre-opera talks


Learn more about Innocence during a 90-minute exploration of the music and history, led by dynamic opera experts and scholars. Click on the below Opera Previews button for more information.
Opera Previews

 

OperaVision, HD video projection screens featured in the Balcony level for the first three performances.

In connection with the production of Innocence, San Francisco Opera is working with local and national partner organizations to create opportunities for discourse about the effects of gun violence on individuals and communities. More information will be announced closer to the performance period.

 

Content Warning: This production contains depictions of the aftermath of gun violence.

See & Hear More

Synopsis

The story occurs across two timelines. A wedding is being celebrated in Helsinki in the 2000s; in the world of memory, seven people recount a traumatic event they experienced ten years earlier. The connection between these realities is gradually revealed.


* San Francisco Opera Debut

PERFORMANCES
June 1, 7, 12, 16, 18, 21, 2024

World premiere in July 2021 at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, in Aix-en-Provence

Co-Commission and Co-Production of Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, San Francisco Opera, Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Royal Opera House-Covent Garden London, Finnish National Opera and Ballet Helsinki

In partnership with the Metropolitan Opera

 

Innocence Healing Circle

Innocence Healing Circle

Backstage with Matthew: Anticipating Innocence

Made Possible By

This production is made possible, in part, by the Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for New Productions; Keith and Priscilla Geeslin; Louise Gund; Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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