Innocence comes to Adelaide Festival for its highly anticipated Australian Premiere following sell-out seasons at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Finnish National Opera, London’s Royal Opera House, Dutch National Opera and San Francisco Opera, and directly before its New York debut at the Metropolitan Opera.

In modern-day Finland, a joyous wedding celebration takes a shocking turn when the darkest of secrets is revealed and a young bride faces an impossible decision.

Acclaimed as a “masterpiece” by the New York Times, Innocence draws us into the complex emotional journey shared by a community of students, teachers and families recovering from an inconceivable tragedy. Loyalties are tested and ghosts confronted in a powerful and enthralling story of innocence and guilt, destruction and salvation.

This is Kaija Saariaho’s final opera and one of the most important operas written this century. Her extraordinary score, rich in translucent textures, is reinforced by a multi-layered Finnish libretto by novelist Sofi Oksanen and a multilingual libretto by Aleksi Barrière. World-renowned Australian director Simon Stone’s thrilling, cinematic production balances tragedy and hope. Clément Mao-Takacs conducts a fine international cast, with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Chamber Singers and State Opera Chorus.

An unmissable event and a new page in the history of opera.

Production photo of Innocence, The Royal Opera, Tristram Kenton 2023