Laura Åkerlund

Laura Åkerlund (born 1987 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish opera stage director and pianist. In 2019, she was a finalist for the position of Directrice Générale at the Opéra de Lyon,  and in 2021, she was a finalist for the same position at the Opéra National de Bordeaux.

Biography
Åkerlund began piano lessons at the age of six and completed her studies privately at the Helsinki Conservatory. She went on to earn a Master of Musicology degree from Helsinki University. She also studied Opera Stage Directing at the Sibelius Academy, Theater Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, and Management and International Business at Aalto University. She speaks multiple languages, including Finnish, English, Swedish, German, and French.

She is the founder and director of the newest opera house in Finland, Helsingin Koominen Ooppera (Comic Opera Helsinki), inspired by the traditions of Opéra Comique in Paris and Komische Oper in Berlin. The aim of the opera house is to present opera to new audiences and to produce experimental productions in unusual locations. In 2017, Comic Opera Helsinki produced the first immersive opera ever performed in Finland with Vixen. The opera was a co-production between Silent Opera and the Helsinki Festival and took place in an old train station.

As stage director

 * 2011: Heta Aho: Himmerrä ja Valo, Musica Nova Helsinki.
 * 2011: Musical: Aallonharjalla. Malmitalo, Helsinki.
 * 2015: Verdi: La Traviata. The 3rd International Music Festival Putikon Hovi. Winner in the following categories: Best stage direction, best-leading performance
 * 2015: Pjotr Tšaikovski: Eugen Onegin. St. Petersburg and Punkaharju Finland.
 * 2018: Stanisław Moniuszko: Halka. Helsinki Opera Festival, Comic Opera Helsinki (Helsingin Koominen Ooppera).
 * 2018: Aulis Sallinen: The Red Line. Kemi City Orchestra.

As assistant stage director and stage manager

 * 2006: Haydn: L’Isola disabitata. Finnish Chamber Opera. Assistant stage director and Stage Manager.
 * 2006: Aulis Sallinen: The Red Line, Fredrik Pacius: Kung Karls Jakt & Tchaikovsky: Eugen Onegin. Stage director trainee, Finnish National Opera.
 * 2007: Ilkka Kuusisto: Risto Ryti - vapauden vanki. Production assistant, Finnish Chamber Opera.
 * 2007: Seppo Pohjola: Kaksi kamarioopperaa rakkaudesta. Assistant stage director, Stage Manager. Helsinki festival & Turun Musiikkijuhlat.
 * 2008: Händel: Acis ja Galatea. Assistant Stage director and Stage Manager. Finnish Chamber Opera. Stage director Vilppu Kiljunen.
 * 2009: Haydn: Il mondo della luna. Assistant stage director. Kulttuuritalo Gloria. Stage director Ville Saukkonen.
 * 2009: Gustav Holst: The Planets. Stage Manager, video art live coordinator. Helsingin Juhlaviikot. Helsinki City Orchestra, conductor John Storgårds. Video artist Petri Ruikka.
 * 2012: Richard Wagner: Tristan ja Isolde. Assistant Stage Manager. Helsinki Festival (Helsingin Juhlaviikot) & Baltic Sea Festival Stockholm. RSO, conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Stage director Peter Sellars.
 * 2013: Mozart: Don Giovanni. Assistant stage director and stage manager. New Generation Opera, Helsinki Festival (Helsingin Juhlaviikot). Stage director Erik Söderblom.
 * 2013: Miika Hyytiäinen: La Figure de la Terre. Assistant Stage director and Stage Manager. Sophiensaele Berlin. Stage director Jaakko Nousiainen.
 * 2014: Miika Hyytiäinen: Aikainen 3D Opera. Grimeborn Festival for New Opera, London. Stage director Jaakko Nousiainen.
 * 2014: Birke J. Bertelsmeier: Querelle. Deutsche Oper Berlin. Stage director Tilman Hecker.
 * 2015: Richard Strauss: Salome. Stage director Kirill Serebrennikov. Oper Stuttgart. Richard Ayres: Peter Pan.
 * 2015: Seppo Pohjola: Harrbådan neito & Sibelius: Neito tornissa. Assistant stage director and Stage Manager. Stage director Aku-Petteri Pahkamäki. West Coast Kokkola Opera (Kokkolan Oopperakesä).
 * 2015: Puccini: Gianni Schicci & Béla Bartók: Herzog Blaubarts Burg. Komische Oper Berlin. Stage director Calixto Bieito.
 * 2016: Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Stage director David Bösch. Fromental-Halévy: La Juive. Stage director Calixto Bieito. Bayerische Staatsoper.
 * 2016: Heinz-Juhani Hoffmann: Ahti Karjalainen : elämä, Kekkonen ja teot. Reprise direction, stage director Juha Hurme. West Coast Kokkola Opera (Kokkolan Oopperakesä).

TV work

 * 2008: Risto Ryti - vapauden vanki DVD-studio recording of Finnish chamber opera, directed by Ilkka Kuusisto.
 * 2009: Talo Ranskassa French language learning programme. Produced by YLE Teema.

Other work

 * 2018: Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe: Wagnerstimmen-singing competition final, member of the jury.
 * 2018: Kyiv, Ukraine: Theaterfestival GRA - competition, member of the jury.
 * 2019-2020: Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe: member of the executive team and Head of Dramaturgy.
 * 2020-2023: Theater Dortmund, Academy for Theatre and Digitality, member of the Jury