Innocence is a five-act opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, with a libretto by Sofi Oksanen translated and adapted by Aleksi Barrière. The work weaves between a Helsinki wedding and a school shooting a decade earlier, probing guilt, collective responsibility and the long shadow of trauma. It premiered at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in July 2021, directed by Simon Stone, and has since been staged at the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, among others. October 2026 marks its Danish premiere at the Copenhagen Opera House.
Innocence has its Danish premiere at the Opera on Holmen in Copenhagen on October 11, 2026 with performances until November 6, 2026, conducted by Elena Schwarz.
Metropolitan Opera in New York performed Innocence from April 6, 2026 with Joyce DiDonato in the role of the servant and Susanna Mälkki on the podium.
Innocence had its German premiere at Semperoper in Dresden in March 2025.
Innocence was the year's major opera event at the Adelaide Festival in Australia in 2025, conducted by Clément Mao-Takacs.
The opera had its world premiere at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence on July 3, 2021, conducted by Susanna Mälkki and directed by Simon Stone.
