Back to 2021 Nominees
You can find out more about the donation-based crowdfunding campaign on the FEDORA Platform here.
Outdated browser
Opera Prize 2021
Nominee
Jury
Nominee
Innocence
Crowdfunding Results
€4,590
collected
€1,000
Matched
€15,000
target
Innocence © Jean-Louis Fernandez i
Kaija Saariaho’s final opera INNOCENCE is a “thriller-opera” but also a story about recovery and healing that resonates with current concerns of humanity, dealing with how individuals, smaller groups and our society as a whole confront the past and tackle recent traumas over time.
About the Project
"It is a typical wedding for a cosmopolitan city, in present-day Finland. The fiancé is Finnish, the bride Romanian, and the mother-in-law French. But suddenly, during the wedding banquet, the Czech waitress feels ill… Ten years earlier, these characters were struck by a tragic event. Ghosts revive their memories of the trauma, there is a guilty haze, a lost innocence".
INNOCENCE is a “thriller-opera”, a contemporary tragedy writing a new page in the history of opera.
The opera INNOCENCE is the result of a collaboration between multi-awarded composer Kaija Saariaho and novelist Sofi Oksanen, who is unrivaled in her ability to force today’s reality to confront the past.
Made radiant through its powerful music and the intermingling of words from nine different languages, INNOCENCE is a large-scale opera for symphonic forces and an international wide-ranging cast. Music will be mastered by Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, the London Symphony Orchestra & the Estonian Philharmonic Choir. Finally, Australian stage director SimonStone will magnify this opera with his own individual style while directing thirteen singers and/or actors to bring the opera to life!
Read more
More info about the cast, the story... here!
Why should you support us?
INNOCENCE, AN “OPERA-THRILLER” AS AN AMAZING WAY TO EXPERIENCE OPERA!
INNOCENCE is a “multiplot opera” which is to be experienced like a thriller! A tension-filled opera that will keep you pending until the mind-blowing finish!
A UNIVERSAL TOPIC IN TUNE WITH TODAY’S RAGING WORLD
INNOCENCE is a large fresco of the human mind when faced to deal with a traumatic event: “What is important here is the wide range of the varied consequences of one violent act. How do we react to unexpected tragedies in our lives, how does our destiny stigmatize us, and how can we overcome a trauma?” (Kaija Saariaho)
JOIN US IN THE FINAL CREATIVE STAGE: REHEARSALS, LIGHT & COSTUMES ADJUSTMENTS, FINALISATION OF THE SETS…
STAGE FEVER!!! The opera INNOCENCE is reaching its last creative phase: support all the artists, musicians, technicians... in the final part of this adventure in Aix (World Premiere), before a tour in The Netherlands, UK, Finland, USA…
Who are we?
Right from the start, INNOCENCE was created as a highly international and collaborative project. Since the beginning of the creation of INNOCENCE in 2016, an open and constructive dialogue between each partner was implemented, each of them bringing their voices to this musical masterpiece.
The Festival d’Aix (France) is an international festival renowned for its active commitment to contemporary creation. Each year, the Festival d'Aix commissions and programmes contemporary operas: INNOCENCE is one of the greatest operas ever created in Aix, a meaningful large-scale production that represents an amazing challenge! For INNOCENCE, the Festival d'Aix is in charge of the overall creation: cast, building of the sets, creation of costumes, rehearsals... Festival d’Aix will welcome the World Premiere in July 2021.
The other coproducers taking part in this international adventure of the creation of INNOCENCE are 4 major opera houses renowned for their artistic excellence: the Royal Opera House - Covent Garden (UK), the Dutch National Opera (The Netherlands), the Finnish National Opera (Finland) & the Santa Fe Opera (USA).
Kaija Saariaho
Composer
Sofi Oksanen
Librettist
Susanna Mälkki
Conductor
Simon Stone
Stage Director
Chloe Lamford
Set Designer
Mel Page
Costume Designer
James Farncombe
Lighting Designer
Arco Renz
Choreographer
Aleksi Barrière
Translator-Librettist
Partners
Netherlands
Royal Opera House
United Kingdom
San Francisco Opera
United States
Supporters
Thanks to the support of FEDORA's Corporate Donor Secutix, the first €1,000 donated to "Innocence" will be doubled.
François Grenet donated 3 years ago
Anonymous donated 3 years ago
Bernard Barone donated 3 years ago
Anonymous donated 3 years ago
News
Jury Nominee
Festival d'Aix
Why should you sponsor INNOCENCE? Listen to Karolina Blaberg, one of INNOCENCE's main sponsors!
21 May 2021
[VIDEO] Discover what deeply motivated Karolina Blaberg to support the creation of the opera INNOCENCE.
Read more
Jury Nominee
Festival d'Aix
SPECIAL OFFER: Get -25% off your ticket to attend one of the performances of INNOCENCE this summer in Aix!
13 May 2021
[SPECIAL OFFER] Enjoy a special 25% off offer for the show of INNOCENCE!
Read more
[VIDEO] Which words and which opera librettos are best placed to express our contemporary realities, be they socio-economic, political, or environmental? Which stories inspire us and fill us with strong emotion?
Read more
Jury Nominee
Festival d'Aix
KEEP CREATING AROUND INNOCENCE: Get a close-up of the artistic process in this very special time!
06 May 2021
[VIDEO] Interested in knowing more about how the sanitary crisis has impacted the future of INNOCENCE and how work on the production of this opera continued despite the complicated circumstances? It's here!
Read more
[PHOTOS] INNOCENCE's rehearsals began in 2020 in Aix-en-Provence. Discover in pictures these work sessions with the artists, the composer Kaija Saariaho, the stage director Simon Stones and the music director Susanna Mälkki.
Read more
[VIDEO] Discover the interview of the young and talented Australian movie director Simon Stone, Stage Director of the opera INNOCENCE!
Read more
Jury Nominee, FEDORA Prizes
Festival d'Aix
Curious about INNOCENCE? Check out Kaija Saariaho's mini-interviews!
01 April 2021
[VIDEO] Kaija Saariaho, INNOCENCE's composer, share some news about the genesis of the opera, the story, the score, etc.
Read more
Special notice about recommending a donation:
You are about to make a donation to FEDORA, a French non-profit organisation, to support the crowdfunding campaign of the FEDORA Prizes Biennale 2025 on the FEDORA Platform. Donors can recommend a distribution of their donations to a specific nominated project, but FEDORA is in charge at its discretion to forward the funds to the Nominees.
Upon completing your donation, FEDORA or the Transnational Giving Europe Partner will provide you with more information regarding your donation receipt, allowing you to claim tax relief on your donation.
Please note that by donating online, you accept our Legal Notice (https://www.fedora-platform.com/more-infos/legal-notice).
Thank you for your generosity!
If you are a company or tax resident in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland or United Kingdom and do not wish to receive the associated crowdfunding benefits, you can receive a tax receipt instead. To do so, please click on “Pledge without a reward” and type in the amount you wish to donate.
Please note that according to the Charities Aid Foundation, UK residents can only obtain a tax receipt for donations between GBP 100 and GBP 9,999.
Please note that according to the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, Swiss residents can only obtain a tax receipt for donations of minimum 100 CHF. Donations as of €5 are still possible via FEDORA's payment page for anyone wishing to make a donation of under £100 or 100 CHF without receiving a tax receipt.
Learn more about possible benefits or tax deductions related to your donation here.
Learn more about the crowdfunding campaign here.
Special notice about the crowdfunding campaign
€ 2,000
United Kingdom
Edinburgh International Festival
€ 2,005
Belgium
Platform-K
€ 8,365
Platform member
Sweden
Royal Swedish Opera
Support sustainable innovation in opera and dance
