Mart Mikk says opera remains a social art form

Opera singer Mart Mikk told ERR’s Klassikaraadio that opera is not destined to decline but is in good health, with Savonlinna as its address. He said opera was never intended to be elitist, but was a way for people to spend time together.

Mikk said he had rediscovered his passion for motorcycling while travelling on the roads of eastern Finland. He bought a motorcycle again after a long break, and it has since become his major hobby alongside opera. He has now travelled by motorcycle in 40 European countries.

He said visiting cultural events by motorcycle had a particular appeal. Mikk added that Estonia’s theatre scene was rich and that he attended more spoken-theatre performances than musical-theatre productions. This summer, he has seen “Das Rheingold” and “Baskin” in Kiidjärve.

Mikk first spent a summer in Savonlinna in 1988, attending master classes. He said the experience made it clear to him that opera was not destined to fade away, but was “in very good health”, with its address in Savonlinna.

He recalled that the choir of the Savonlinna Opera Festival was disbanded in 1992. The work was demanding, with rehearsal periods lasting seven weeks without a break. Mikk said that, including master classes and opera visits, he had spent more than a year of his life in Savonlinna and had come to know the city thoroughly.

Former choir director Kyösti Haatanen formed a new choir, offering an opportunity for singing students who had few ways to earn money alongside their studies. Mikk auditioned successfully and, after learning that the choir faced a severe shortage of tenors, invited three Estonian tenors to join. The working days were long, he said, but the singers also knew how to relax.

Estonia’s national opera will appear as a guest company at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in summer 2027. Mikk said Estonia was the first theatre company from outside Finland to perform at the festival.