Lilli Paasikivi

Lilli Katriina Paasikivi-Ilves (born in 1965 in Imatra, Finland) 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.

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 Ring project with the Berlin Philharmonic as Fricka, 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,

Awards and honours

2008 – Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland 2017 – Commander's Badge of the Order of the Lion of Finland Joulu tullut on (Finnish Christmas songs), with conductor Ulf Söderblom and the Jyväskylä Sinfonia Äidiltä Lapselle, with Pentti Kotiranta (piano) Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius, with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Mark Tucker and David Wilson-Johnson (baritone). Nominated for an ARIA Award in 2012.