News from the Members

Lohengrin and Wagner return to the Savonlinna Opera Festival

 Richard Wagner’s mythical knight tale Lohengrin returns to the magical medieval milieu of Olavinlinna Castle in the summer of 2024. We warmly welcome all Wagner societies in the world to experience an unforgettable evening with Lohengrin.

Richard Wagner’s operas have been an important part of the Savonlinna Opera Festival programme for decades. After The Flying Dutchman, which premiered in 1981 and became an almost iconic production, the stage of Olavinlinna Castle has seen all of Wagner’s key works at least once, with the exception of the Ring of the Nibelung tetralogy. Foreign visiting opera houses have performed two of these productions.

Directed by the German Roman Hovenbitzer, Lohengrin is the latest Wagner opera to be added to the Opera Festival’s repertoire. Savonlinna’s Lohengrin has also been presented internationally; the piece concluded the performance season of the 2014 Hong Kong Arts Festival.

A knight tale in a medieval castle

There are other works in opera literature that are well-suited to the unique atmosphere of the medieval Olavinlinna Castle, but Lohengrin’s premise fits the setting perfectly. The Olavinlinna Castle (founded in 1475) has been a meeting place for knights in times of war and peace since the beginning of its history. The classic knight tale of Lohengrin is the perfect fit for the castle.

We hope that your society is eager to visit the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2024. The month-long performance season is from 5 July to 4 August.

The Savonlinna Opera Festival is a unique festival that offers high-quality opera performances in a medieval castle in the middle of the beautiful Saimaa lake region.

Thanks to the programme schedule, you can easily add another performance to your visit, either the night before or the night after the Lohengrin performance. Check out the summer 2024 programme HERE.
Home - Savonlinnan Oopperajuhlat (operafestival.fi)
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Accommodation options include everything from hostels to four-star hotels. Our group sales will be happy to help your society plan an unforgettable visit to the Savonlinna Opera Festival. 

Sales service contact information:
+358 (0)15 476750
sales@operafestival.fi

 Richard Wagner’s operas at the Savonlinna Opera Festival

The Flying Dutchman 1981–1985, 1988–1990, 1995–1996, 2003, 2008, 2012
Tannhäuser 1996–1998, 2006
Parsifal 1997 (the Mariinsky Theatre’s visit)
Tristan and Isolde 2002–2003
The Master-Singers of Nuremberg 2002 (the Deutsche Oper am Rhein’s visit)
Lohengrin 2011, 2013, 2024