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Young talents take stage at the Vaasa City Orchestra’s Opera Evening
Published: 23.10.2026
Supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and started in August 2025, the Mirjam Helin Academy offers additional training for young singers in Finland. These shining future stars will be seen and heard as soloists with the Vaasa City Orchestra at the Opera Evening on Thursday 29.10.2026, in the Vaasa City Hall.
In a short time, the Mirjam Helin Academy, established alongside the Mirjam Helin Competition, has gained a strong reputation. The academy provides extra training for particularly talented young singers. Mentoring and teaching from top experts in the field has already helped young singers advance, even toward international careers.
At the Opera Evening, academy singers taking the stage will be sopranos Iris Candelaria, Marjaana Ritanen and Heta Sammalisto; mezzo-sopranos Emma Karsten and Melike Uludag; baritones Gabriel Kivivuori Sereno, Johannes Pessi and Tuomas Pääkkönen; and bass Martin Iivarinen. Each of them already has plenty of experience both on opera stages and as soloists with orchestras. They will be performing familiar arias by Mozart, Rossini, and Verdi with the Vaasa City Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Anna-Maria Helsing.
With a GRANDE season ticket, you have access to Opera Evening, as well as all autumn season concerts except the children’s concert. With a PRONTO season ticket, you can attend the concerts on 29.10. 3.12.