The San Francisco Opera is gearing up for the American premiere of "Innocence," the final opera of the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Scheduled to run from June 1–21, this multilingual theatrical piece, which is performed in nine languages, dives deep into the emotional aftermath of a school shooting. A waitress at a joyous wedding reception recognizes the groom as the brother of the tragedy's gunman, setting off a chain reaction of memories and moral quagmires, according to the San Francisco Opera.
"Innocence," which first premiered at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in 2021, has already been hailed by critics as a “masterpiece” for its in-depth exploration of guilt, trauma, and the resilience of the human spirit. The opera is told across two timelines—the present-day wedding and flashbacks of the horrific past incident. The story is accompanied by Saariaho's signature translucent score, led by Saariaho specialist Clément Mao-Takacs in his company debut leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.
The ensemble cast is a mix of new and returning talent, with mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose in her role debut as Tereza, the waitress, and tenor Miles Mykkanen featuring as the Bridegroom. Soprano Lilian Farahani, reprising her role as the Bride from the original production, makes her San Francisco Opera debut. According to a Broadway World report, "The multi-genre instrumentalist and vocalist Vilma Jää makes her American operatic debut as the student Markéta."
Complementing the opera's U.S. premiere, a series of public events titled BEYOND INNOCENCE aims to foster community discussion on gun violence prevention and healing through the arts. A free symposium set for May 31 will include speakers like Pastor Mike McBride of Live Free USA and UCSF trauma surgeon Dr. Rochelle A. Dicker, as detailed by Broadway World. These initiatives are in line with San Francisco Opera's legacy of commissioning and presenting contemporary works that address pressing societal issues.
Tickets for "Innocence" start at $26, and each performance is sung and spoken in English, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, French, Swedish, German, Spanish, and Greek with English supertitles. Performance dates and a detailed look at the entire cast can be found on the San Francisco Opera’s official website.
