INNOCENCE
Innocence is a contemporary opera in five acts by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023). It premiered at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in July 2021 and, since then, has garnered praise around the world—including in Amsterdam, London, Helsinki, Adelaide, and San Francisco.
Erika Hammarberg made her debut as Markéta—a role written specifically for a singer with Finno-Ugric folk-singing abilities—at Musiktheater im Revier (Gelsenkirchen, Germany) in November 2024. It was the first-ever new production of the opera following the original Festival d’Aix-en-Provence production directed by Simon Stone.
Hammarberg has performed the role of Markéta in five different productions, including the original staging when it visited the Adelaide Festival in Australia, and later in Copenhagen. She has received considerable praise for her delicate portrayal of the tragic character. She also earned the Gelsenkirchener Theaterpreis for her work in 2025 and was selected as one of the highlights of the Nuremberg Theatre’s 2025–2026 season. Hammarberg will return to the role in the autumn of 2026 at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen and in the spring of 2027 at the Leipzig City Theatre.
“The absolute star is Erika Hammarberg in the role of Markéta – or rather, Markéta’s ghost – one of the deceased students… …But she commands the role with a fragile, strong, and clear voice that is among the most beautiful I have ever heard.”
Charlotte Wiberg, review of Innocence opera (Royal Danish Theater) in Expressen (Sweden) 12.10.2026
“…Best of all, for the ambiguity of her motivations, the strength of her presence and the beguiling eccentricity and ethereal purity of her voice, is Erika Hammarberg as the key victim, Markéta. It’s virtually impossible to take your eyes off her.”
Tim Burne, review of Innocence opera (Adelaide Festival) in The Guardian 1.3.2025
Upcoming productions:
Copenhagen, Denmark 2026
Leipzig, Germany 2027
Productions in the past:
Braunschweig, Germany 2026
Nürnberg, Germany 2025-2026
Adelaide, Australia 2025
Gelsenkirchen, Germany 2024-2025
ANIMAGIOS
Animagios is a Finnish multimedia art concept set in a magical fantasy world of the same name, created by Santte Salonen, Joni Stein, and Erika Hammarberg.
Animagios originated in 2019 when Salonen and Stein began creating a board game for the sheer joy of it. As the game’s fictional world expanded and new stories emerged, Hammarberg joined the team. Together, they began developing stage productions set within the Animagios world.
In Animagios, everyone has a unique ”soul-character” that is molded by their temperament, personality, and identity. This character evolves through life experiences and self-reflection. The mind, and our shared struggle for mental well-being, serves as the central thread of the expansive Animagios project.
RITVA NERO
Ritva Nero is a Finnish headbanging folk group formed in 2017. The band’s music could be described as ”Party Metal Folk.” The lead instruments—soprano saxophone, Finnish bagpipes, and nyckelharpa—are complemented by a rock-style bass and metal-style drums. Folk dance tunes are cleverly combined with the metal tradition of our time in a contemporary manner.
Ritva Nero has performed on major stages at several European folk music festivals, including the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival (FI), Haapavesi Folk Music Festival (FI), Nordischer Klang (GER), Korrö Festival (SWE), Guinness Irish Festival (CH), and Sommelo Folk Music Festival (FI).
The band’s debut album, Immortal Tradition, was released in 2022 by Bafe’s Factory. In 2025, Erika Hammarberg joined the group as a lead singer alongside Laura Maria Rinta. Currently, the band is working on its new “Haudasta kaivettu / Exhumed” repertoire, with Hammarberg also serving as the lyricist working alongside the band’s leading figure, Santte Salonen. The themes draw from history as the band dances in the devil’s teaching, unearthing everything from shepherd’s music and the ghosts of folklore collectors to the oral history of the fictional character Ritva Nero—the band’s enigmatic namesake whose interviews and memories weave together the stories of countless individuals.
SANS
SANS is a unique, multinational world music band founded by zither-playing multi-instrumentalist Andrew Cronshaw. The group started as a quartet featuring Armenian duduk master Tigran Aleksanyan, multi-instrumental reed player Ian Blake, and the great Finnish singer Sanna Kurki-Suonio alongside Cronshaw. In early 2014, they released their first album, SANS Live. Kulku, released on 1 September 2018, is SANS’s first studio album.
During the recording of Kulku in the winter of 2017–2018—in a beautifully spacious oak barn conversion in Suffolk—they were joined by Sanna’s daughter, Erika Hammarberg, as a guest singer. Her vocal, compositional, and lyrical contributions were so significant that it became clear she should join the band permanently.
Kulku was highly praised across the world, reaching number 1 on the Transglobal World Music Chart and number 2 on the World Music Chart Europe. It was also awarded an Emma Award (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy) in the ethno category in 2018.
Journalist Mari Koppinen wrote the following about Hammarberg in Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s leading newspaper, on 27 November 2018:
“…A bigger surprise is Erika Hammarberg. She was meant to be just a guest artist but made such a striking impact as a singer and composer that the daughter became an equal band member alongside her mother. And yes, Erika Hammarberg’s name is one to remember. Her voice glistens. Unbelievably enchanting…”
Mari Koppinen, review of SANS album Kulku in Helsingin Sanomat 27.11.2018