Teatro Productions has its roots in the year of 2004 and the training period of Vantaan Music School’s opera class. Vocal students performed fragments of W.A. Mozart’s operas The Magic Flute and Figaro’s Wedding and made the two stories intertwine and overlap with each other. The group of students was called Teatro Vantaa, and Kaisa Näreranta was one of them. Ten years later she got an idea to make an opera as part of her music studies at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. The opera she chose was Puccini’s Suor Angelica. It was performed at Lahti’s Pikkuteatteri, which was a perfect location for classical opera music.
Kaisa and Janne Näreranta, the siblings who founded Teatro Productions, are both determined and open-minded. Music has always been part of their lives. Three-year-old Kaisa surprised her parents by wanting to take violin lessons. Her parents promised she could enroll in violin classes when she turns five. The morning of her fifth birthday, Kaisa showed five fingers to her mom to remind her of the promise. Parents encouraged the siblings to practice arts even though there were no musicians in the family. Janne sang in the Cantores Minores Choir. Both Kaisa and Janne have studied music, and have sung in several choirs and as soloists. They have acted, made opera in regional opera houses, and been part of the Savonlinna Opera Festival choirs.
Kaisa and Janne are experienced entrepreneurs. Before Teatro, they built a successful real estate company in four southern Finland cities. As the siblings were skillful in both business and music, it felt natural to start a performance and production company to start producing opera performances, so they founded Teatro Productions.
Teatro Production wants to serve as a bridge between the art and the business worlds. The company aims to introduce business-like thinking into the art world and vice versa. Why do businesses sponsor sports but not the arts? By becoming an art sponsor, enterprises can assume corporate responsibility, and supporting artists’ employment increases everyone’s well-being. There is also scientific evidence that music improves health and increases cognitive skills.
From the beginning, Teatro Productions has been creating new productions and events at a steady pace. The second of our more notable performances was an entirely new musical drama, Soivaksi Kirjoitettu, based on the exchange of letters between Jean and Aino Sibelius. Soivaksi Kirjoitettu was performed at the mainstages of both Sibelius House in Lahti and Finlandia House in Helsinki. Additionally, Teatro Productions Oy has produced concerts, festivities, and fairs.
International Opera Company Finland is Teatro Productions’ auxiliary company and a project that aims at internationalization. International Opera Company Finland’s wants to produce international professional operas and bring together the masters and apprentices. The vocalists are both young soloists striving for international breakthrough and experienced professionals.
Courage to implement ideas is the cornerstone of performing arts and business. We strive for novelty and combining traditional conventions with modern environment and technology. Since music is eternal, we wish to recognize classical operas. We also want to lead the implementation of new trends to engage people and businesses into experiencing music. There is no right or wrong way to enjoy music. After every performance or event, someone has said they never knew opera music could be like this.
Networking is our strength. We want to introduce the importance and value of the right contacts and an optimistic attitude into the Finnish work culture. At Teatro Productions, we want to break boundaries and build bridges between people, businesses, performers, and audiences.