School shootings are a tragically common occurrence in the United States, but rarely do they reach the stage of one of the world’s premier opera houses. That changes as Innocence, the final work by Kaija Saariaho, debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
The 110-minute opera explores how a devastating attack at an international school in Finland reverberates through survivors and the wider community. First performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2021, it has been staged around the world but carries particular resonance in the US, where multiple school shootings have already occurred this year.
For acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, the timing made the production especially urgent. She said the importance lay in telling the story “in America in 2026”, describing the work as a way to shine a light on violence, injustice and suffering.
The opera shifts between a wedding in Helsinki and the moments surrounding the shooting. DiDonato plays Tereza, a waitress and mother of a victim who unexpectedly finds herself serving the groom’s family — relatives of the shooter — who fail to recognise her. The tension builds until she erupts in anger, forcing a confrontation with the past.
Across its 13 characters, the opera shows how lives are permanently altered. The shooter’s relatives face stigma and social isolation, while survivors are encouraged to move on despite the lingering effects of trauma.
DiDonato said she is “horrified” by shootings but sees the opera as addressing a broader normalisation of violence, from war to deportations. “It’s important to shine a light on inhumanity and suffering”, she said, adding the work reflects “the obscene glut of violence” in modern life.
The New York production marks the opera’s second run at an American house after performances by the San Francisco Opera in 2024. Tenor Miles Mykkanen, who plays the groom Tuomas, said the piece is unusually heavy, lingering with him even outside rehearsals.
Despite its bleak themes, DiDonato hopes Innocence can open minds. Reflecting on her role in Dead Man Walking, she said such works can prompt audiences to reconsider difficult issues. “These kinds of stories can crack open people”, she said. — AFP
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