The canon of opera divas from Aida to Salome will soon be shaken up by an extraordinary new diva

The Finnish National Opera’s Laila invites the audience to shape her reality and the world of the future together with artificial intelligence. She challenges us to encounter our hopes, fears and anxieties related to technology and the unknown tomorrow.

The new, interactive work created by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paula Vesala, Tuomas Norvio and the Ekho Collective for the Finnish National Opera rejects the traditional roles of performing arts, as its music and visuality evolve and change in interaction with the audience. In Laila, you are not the audience, but one of many actors shaping reality. Laila is a unique experience, which is different every time.

“If you should rebuild opera, you can’t rip it down more than we’ve done it. It’s missing all of the traditions of opera.”

– Paula vesala

making of laila

Fedora Digital Prize

Ekho collective

Ekho Collective is a group of artists, designers and technology professionals, who specialize in designing and implementing immersive experiences. The multidisciplinary collective works at the intersection of art and technology, with the objective of bringing them together in unexpected ways. Members of the collective are Minja Axelsson, Heikki Heiskanen, Essi Huotari, Olli Kilpi, Saara-Henriikka Mäkinen, Joonas Nissinen and Iina Taijonlahti. www.ekho.fi

opera beyond x nokia bell labs

Laila is a production of the Opera Beyond ecosystem, which collides arts with emerging technologies. In connection with Laila, the audience will experience a new interactive installation Common Domain by media artist Kalle Rasinkangas, created in collaboration with Opera Beyond and Nokia Bell Labs.

The collaboration is part of the Nokia Bell Labs Experiments in Arts and Technology programme, in which artists, engineers and researchers explore new opportunities for humans to interact and connect. Kalle Rasinkangas works within a community of top tier researchers, while making the most of Nokia Bell Labs’ advanced technology.

Read more at operabeyond.com

performers

The work’s sound is a recorded interpretation by the opera singers and orchestra musicians of the Finnish National Opera. 

Soprano

Krista Kujala, Sanna Iljin, Helianna Herkkola

Alto

Anna Erokhina, Raisa Vaarna, Ida Wallén

Tenor

Halim Shon, Joonas Eloranta, Jere Martikainen

Bass

Arto Hosio, Andrus Mitt, Robert McLoud, Jyrki Korhonen

Percussion

Uolevi Högström, Jukka Koski, Virva Kuusi, Mauri Myllys, Heikki Parviainen, Keijo Puumalainen

In addition, Laila’s voice will be provided by
Paula Vesala, Miriam Hilpo (Finnish)
Gunilla Hemming, Emil Paloniemi (Swedish)
Sanna-June Hyde, Miriam Hilpo (English)