What exactly does the work of a ballet pianist involve? Marja-Kaisa Mäkinen tells all about her varied and fast-paced role accompanying the dancers of the Finnish National Ballet.
Working at the Arts Factory
Life in the sewing studio is surprisingly fast and furious. We asked seamstress Outi Riikonen to explain what she does at the costume department of the Opera House.
In Finland, you have only one head coach at a time. Head Coach and Conductor Kurt Kopecky tells about his unique job at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.
"I am responsible for anything to do with lights and special effects during a performance. That means every one of the more than 600 lights of the stage, as well as any video projections and smoke. I plan their implementation according to the lighting designer’s wishes and supervise their setup and programming for all rehearsals and performances."
"I see each orchestra as a unique person, like different people. Sometimes there’s immediate chemistry between the conductor and the orchestra. That’s what happened with the orchestra of the FNOB." Read an interesting interview of our Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Fournillier.
Petteri Iivonen is the 1st Leader of the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. What is his job like? Read Petteri's interview!
"I never consciously decided to become a dancer. I started dance classes almost by chance." Read FNOB's soloist dancer Antti Keinänen's interview!
“Stage work is addictive.” Nina Valtonen has worked as a stage manager at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet for 21 years. Read Nina's interview!
"The world of opera in itself is unique, you just get carried away with it." Helinä Siltanen, opera singer in the chorus of the FNO tells about her job. Read more!