Outi Tarkiainen’s second opera Day of Night premieres in the 2026–27 season at Aalto Music Theatre Essen.
Set in the Finnish part of the Sámi region, Day of Night tells the story of Áile, a young visual artist torn between an international career and a life shaped by Sámi traditions and values. The opera explores questions of identity, belonging and responsibility towards the land, drawing on Sámi mythology and contemporary cultural and political perspectives. Based on the acclaimed novel Halla Helle (2021) by Sámi author Niillas Holmberg, the opera features a multilingual libretto by Aleksi Barrière. Tarkiainen’s music integrates traditional Sámi joik singing within a contemporary operatic framework.
Outi Tarkiainen says:
I chose this story because it felt fascinating and fresh. Niillas uses dreams and the subconscious as part of the storytelling in a very intriguing way, which felt inviting to translate onto the operatic stage and into music. I find the Sámi way of looking at the world deeply healing and fulfilling: there is a strong sense of presence and groundedness. Nature lies at the heart of the opera, just as it lies at the heart of Sámi life.
The principal cast includes Lavinia Dames as Áile, with Marja Mortensson singing the traditional joik parts. Jonathan Stockhammer conducts, with staging and video by Pauliina Feodoroff and dramaturgy by Patricia Knebel and Elena Wachendorf.
Day of Night is a joint commission from Aalto Music Theatre Essen and the Finnish National Opera.
Tickets and more information at Aalto Music Theatre Essen
