The artist
In focus.
- Ensemble
- (Current) Finnish National Opera
- Freelancer
- Opéra National de Lyon, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Semperoper Dresden, La Monnaie – De Munt
Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen has established an international career performing at major European houses including the Opéra National de Lyon, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Semperoper Dresden, La Monnaie – De Munt in Brussels, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra National du Rhin, and GöteborgsOperan. A member of the Finnish National Opera since 1999, her repertoire with the company includes Zdenka (Arabella), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Mimì (La Bohème), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), and roles in world premieres by Jüri Reinvere and Sebastian Fagerlund.
Ms. Juntunen began her vocal studies at age fifteen at the Oulu Conservatoire under Airi Tokola and later earned a Master of Music from the Sibelius Academy, where she studied with Anita Välkki. She won the women’s division of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2002 and was awarded the Karita Mattila Prize in 2006.
Her professional breakthrough came as Marguerite in Faust at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2002. During the 2003–2004 season, she made several debuts: Connecticut Opera (Faust), Teatro Carlo Felice Genoa (Il viaggio a Reims), Vlaamse Opera (Arabella), and Semperoper Dresden (Die Zauberflöte), as well as concert appearances at Carnegie Hall and in Tokyo. Further engagements have included Countess Almaviva and Donna Elvira at Opéra National de Lyon, Marie (Wozzeck) at Opéra de Nice, Clara (Der Zwerg) and Marietta (Die tote Stadt) at Opéra National de Lorraine, Tatiana (Eugene Onegin) at Wasa Theatre, and Greta Graumann (Der ferne Klang) at Opéra National du Rhin.
She is particularly associated with the role of Pamina, which she has sung at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence under Daniel Harding, La Monnaie – De Munt under René Jacobs, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Wiener Festwochen, Theater an der Wien, and Semperoper Dresden. Other recent appearances include Madama Butterfly and Donna Elvira at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Marie/Marietta in Die tote Stadt at Theater Basel, Salome in Strasbourg, and Káťa Kabanová at Opéra National de Lorraine.
In concert, Ms. Juntunen has appeared with orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker under Donald Runnicles, the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä, and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam. Her repertoire includes Luonnotar, Missa Solemnis, Vier letzte Lieder, and works by Unsuk Chin, Hafliði Hallgrímsson, and Szymanowski. She has recorded for Ondine and BIS, including the first orchestral recordings of Sibelius’s Höstkväll and Hertig Magnus.
On stage
Artistry, in motion.
Bezduz and Juntunen sing "O Soave Fanciulla"
Selected recordingWatch on YouTube ↗Helena Juntunen - Sibelius
Selected recordingWatch on YouTube ↗From the agency journal
Beyond the profile.
Recent Kanttila Management posts featuring Helena Juntunen.
Kanttila Management's November in review(s)!
Check out some of the awesome work our artists have done in the past month! 👉 🔩Catherine Daniel's fabulous Mrs. Grose in Turn of the Screw enraptured Opera Canada @catherine_daniel_ Photo: David Cooper Photography 🎶 Helena Juntunen brought Sibelius to life with the Birmingham Symphony @helenajuntunensoprano Photo: Jean Attard 💑 Baris Yavuz gave us even more reason to love Guglielmo in Der Opernfreund @borosyovoz Photo: Claudia Heysel 🤡 Georgian tenor Zurab Zurabishvili impresses Operaworld.es with his interpretation of Canio in Pagliacci. @zurabzurabishvili ⛵Brett Sprague is ✨perfect✨ as Peter Grimes in Opern Welt @brett_sprague Photo: Emanuel Ammon ❄️ Director Emily Hehl puts on a La Bohème to be remembered in Theater Coburg @emily.hehl Photos: Taeseok Oh Did you see any of our amazing artists this month?
It's not everyday we hear Jean Sibelius performed by a Finnish native-speaker, and when you do..
you just want to share it with the world 😍 So, that's what we did - at least the small Kanttila Management corner of the world. Kanttila Management Artist soprano Helena Juntunen helps bring this fantastic music by Sibelius, and her recent concerts with the Birmingham Symphony as "a compelling actor, she threw herself into three of the composer’s finest orchestral songs, her body contorting with emotion as the audience hung on her every crystal clear syllable." - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯. Check out the full review in our stories! Here she performs Sibelius' Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳) during a Gala for culture.
We are thrilled to announce that Bass Janne Sihvo, the winner of this year’s Lappeenranta Singing Competition, has officially joined the roster of Kanttila Management!
The Lappeenranta Singing Competition is Finland’s most prestigious national singing contest, with former winners such as Karita Mattila, Soile Isokoski, Jorma Hynninen, Camilla Nylund, Helena Juntunen, and Suvi Väyrynen, all of whom have gone on to enjoy significant international careers. This year’s competition showcased an exceptionally high level of talent, and for the first time since Martti Talvela’s legendary victory in 1960, a bass has claimed the first prize. Keep the name Janne Sihvo in mind — you will undoubtedly be hearing much more about this talented young bass in the future! 🎥 Click the link below to watch the final round of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition. Janne Sihvo’s performance starts at 44:05: https://areena.yle.fi/1-72618472?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=areena-ios-share Janne Sihvo Kanttila Management #lappeenrannanlaulukilpailu #jannesihvo #laulukilpailunvoittaja #lappeenranta #Siba #kansallisooppera