Lilli Paasikivi


Lilli Katriina Paasikivi-Ilves is a Finnish mezzo-soprano and cultural manager. She served as the Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera from 2013 to 2023 and is currently the Intendant of the Bregenz Festival in Austria.
WWW lillipaasikivi.com

Career

Paasikivi has worked to reshape operatic structures and explore the integration of new technologies into opera. In 2019, Paasikivi launched Opera Beyond – a project designed to apply emerging technological tools to opera and ballet.
As a soloist, she has performed with major orchestras including the Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and New York Philharmonic orchestras. Her repertoire spans from Rossini's coloratura roles to central parts in Verdi and Wagner operas.
At the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, she appeared as the Pèlerin in Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de loin. At the Aix-en-Provence Festival she sang in the world premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's Hanjo and also performed in Sir Simon Rattle's [Der Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring des Nibelungen|Ring] project with the Berlin Philharmonic as Fricka, a role she later sang at the Hamburg State Opera conducted by Simone Young. The mezzo-soprano roles of Wagner's Ring Cycle have been a central focus of her career, performed with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Simone Young, Susanna Mälkki, and Hannu Lintu.
In addition to her operatic career, Paasikivi has been active as a festival director. She founded the "Sydänkesän säveliä" festival in Kisko, Southwest Finland, in 2016, and served as artistic director of the Pyhäniemi Manor concert series from 2010 to 2015.
Paasikivi also works internationally as an expert in opera and classical music. She has served on juries of major competitions and, beginning in 2025, is a member of the board of Opera Europa.

Awards and honours

Personal life

Paasikivi has been married to violinist Jaakko Ilves since 1997; they have two children.

Partial discography