Finnish soprano Olga Heikkilä made her US opera debut with Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence in 2024 at San Francisco Opera and comes back with the same opera at the Metropolitan Opera in 2026. She has made major house debuts at La Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the Staatsoper Stuttgart and the Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera House, Finnish National Opera, Dutch National Opera with varied opera repertoire encompassing both traditional and baroque opera as well as pioneering new compositions. Heikkilä continues to come back to Aix-en- Provence and Savonlinna Opera Festivals. She is also in high demand as a concert singer and has sung the major oratorio and orchestra repertoire throughout Europe. She has worked with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Ingo Metzmacher, Susanna Mälkki, Sakari Oramo, Hannu Lintu and Eva Ollikainen. Praised for her stage presence Heikkilä’s latest collaborations with stage directors include Kasper Holten, Simon Stone, Nicola Raab and Andrea Breth. Heikkilä is a laureate of the international vocal competition prizes including special prizes at IVC ‘s-Hertogenbosch (2014, Netherlands) and Klaudia Taev (2013, Estonia). Heikkilä has received her versatile education at the Royal Danish Opera Academy (2013) and at the Sibelius Academy (2015).

Composer Uljas Pulkkis is highly experienced opera composer. He has written 10 operas, which has been premiered for example at Helsinki Festival, Los Angeles USC hall, and Ilmajoki Opera festival. Pulkkis's musical style is contemporary classical, and strongly linked to the opera tradition. Solo singer parts are melodic and expressive. Orchestral writing is innovative and colorful, and Pulkkis has done his doctoral degree on psychoacoustic aspects of orchestration, evaluated by the distinguished professor Stephen McAdams (McGill univ., CA). The music of Philomela opera will be melodic and dramatic, with the use of the latest knowledge of orchestral writing and sound color utilization.

Examples of Pulkkis's operas

Tove Teuvalla (Opera about Tove Jansson in Finnish) 2024: Tove Teuvalla

All the Truths We Cannot See (Opera about Chernobyl accident in English) 2021: All the Truths We Cannot See

I väntan på en jordbävning (Waiting for the earthquake, opera in Swedish about foreign in Japan) 2019: I väntan på en jordbävning

Simon Jensen is a German-Swedish actor, author, and director. He studied acting at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hannover. His engagements have included the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin, and the Burgtheater Vienna, where he was a permanent ensemble member from 2016 to 2019. In 2013, he was invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen for Murmel Murmel (dir. Herbert Fritsch), and in 2017 he was nominated for the Nestroy Theater Prize in Vienna. In addition to his stage work, Jensen has appeared in film and television productions. As an opera soloist, he has performed in King Arthur at the Zurich Opera House and in the German premiere of Innocence at the Semperoper Dresden. 

Klaus Haapaniemi is an internationally acclaimed artist and designer currently living and working in Berlin, Germany. Haapaniemi's approach is mainly based on narrative - each project possesses a rich story translated into the studio's signature intricate prints. Commercially, he has collaborated widely across fashion and design, as well as leading visuals for bespoke events, performances, and operas. As well as commercial success, Klaus has had his work exhibited in internationally respected galleries and museums. The 2018 state prize for design was given to Klaus Haapaniemi by the Finnish cultural minister and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. 

Conductor Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason is among the most versatile and gifted artists of his generation. He won the Brightest Prospect award at the Icelandic Music awards 2016. He studied conducting with Fred Buttkewitz at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin after completing his studies as a violinist and violist at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. As a conductor, pianist, violist, and composer, Bjarnason has already worked with some of the most in- fluential contemporary artists of Iceland. He recently conducted Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s new opera, UR_, in Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland. Bjarnason has made string arrangements and appeared as a string player with numerous Icelandic artists such as Ólafur Arnalds and Asgeir Trausti. Bjarnason composed the music to renowned director Thorleifur Örn Arnarson’s prize-winning Ibsen adaptation, Enemy of the Duck, at the Norwegian National Theatre in Oslo in 2016. He was the conductor for Björk’s orchestral concerts at the Iceland Airwaves in 2016 and will conduct her upcoming show in Mexico City. Recently Bjarnason was announced as a conductor with the Icelandic Opera, where he will make his debut with Tosca in October 2017. 

Mezzosoprano and Soprano Johanne Højlund is a Danish mezzosoprano and soprano educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and The Opera Academy in Copenhagen. In addition, studies at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and The Michael Chekhov Acting Studio in New York, as well as private singing studies with Neil Semer, Douglas Yates, Abbie Fur- mansky and John Norris. Johanne has, among others, sung leading and supporting roles at The Royal Danish Opera, The Danish National Opera, The New Opera in Esbjerg and The Norwegian Opera in Oslo, where she was ‘young artist’ in the soloist ensemble. She has also sung as a soloist in various oratorio and concert performances, most recently the soprano parts in Brahms Requiem, Händel’s Messiah and Förklädd Gud by Lars Erik Larsson. Johanne has sung with orchestras such as Copenhagen Phil, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Bach Orchestra, Sønderjylland Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Opera Orchestra and others. Upcoming engagements include the role as Donna Elvira in Mozarts Don Giovanni with The Danish National Opera. Johanne Højlund is the recipient of The Danish Music Critics Artist Award, opera singer Else Brems’ scholarship, opera singer Betty Beval’s Award, Edith Aller’s Award and Helle and Arenth Jacobsen’s Scholarship for young artists. 

Baritone Johannes Held began his musical training with the Stuttgart Hymnus Choirboys, later studying in Freiburg before completing his education at the Opera Academy in Copenhagen under Susanna Eken. His mentors include Mikael Eliasen, Fiona MacSherry, Ouri Bronchti, Tim Ribchester, and Christopher White. After completing his studies, Johannes joined the ensemble of the Oldenburg State Theatre and has since performed as a soloist at numerous international venues, including the Royal Danish Opera, Danish National Opera, Wermland Opera, Oldenburg State Theatre, Mainz State Theatre, and Bolzano Theatre. His operatic repertoire includes roles such as Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), and Escamillo (Carmen), reflecting his versatility across both lyrical and dramatic baritone roles. In recent years, Johannes has gained significant acclaim as a Lied interpreter, with his performances of Schubert’s Winterreise earning international recognition. To date, he has given over 200 recitals, collaborating with a wide range of pianists and ensembles, including Doriana Tchakarova, Daniel Heide, Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, Götz Payer, and Gábor Csalog. His Lied repertoire spans from Schubert and Wolf to extensive interpretations of Gustav Mahler’s vocal works. He has appeared at numerous festivals and venues, including Konzerthaus Berlin, Festival Academy Budapest, kamara.hu, Liedstadt Hamburg, and Liederhalle Stuttgart. Johannes Held is grateful for the diverse support he has received from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, the Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, the Richard Wagner Stiftung, and the Kunststiftung BW.