Iida Antola

Soprano Iida Antola (born 25.1.1990) has graduated as a choir conductor and pianist from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 2015, and completed her Masters at the University of the Arts in Berlin in 2017.

Antola made her professional debut as Pamina (Mozart: Die Zauberflöte) at the Finnish National Opera in 2017. In the following season 2018-2019 she appeared as Christine in the FNO production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and also sang the role of Crobyle in Massenet’s opera Thaïs. Her other stage roles include Micaëla (Bizet: Carmen), Dido (Purcell: Dido and Aeneas), Poppea (Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea), Clorinda (Rossini: La Cenerentola), La suora infermiera (Puccini: Suor Angelica) and Annina (Verdi: La Traviata). Next engagements include Susanna (Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro) and also the role of the Bride in “Innocence”, the newest opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

Antola has been successful in both national and international competitions. In 2017, she won 1st prize at the Kangasniemi Singing Competition in Finland and 2nd prize at the International Paula Salomon Lindberg Competition “Das Lied” in Berlin. In 2018 she was a finalist in both the International Hugo Wolf Lied Competition in Stuttgart and the International Schubert Lied Duo Competition in Dortmund with pianist Anni Laukkanen. Before studying voice, she also had success as a choir conductor, and was awarded the prize for the most promising young choir conductor at the International Tampere Vocal Music Festival in 2015.

Antola is also in demand as an oratorio soloist, performing works such as The Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Requiem (Fauré), The Seasons (Haydn), Nelson-Messe (Haydn) and Paukenmesse (Haydn). She has appeared in recital at the Crescendo festival in Berlin, the Mozart festival in Würzburg as well as in Romania at the Ateneum in Bucharest and the Philharmonie in Ploiesti. Antola is an experienced performer of contemporary music, and recently and sang and conducted “Pierrot Lunaire” by Schoenberg at the “Kaivos festival” in Finland. She has also premiered music in the Klang! Festival in Helsinki, and can be heard as soloist on several recordings, including Veli-Matti Puumala’s opera Anna-Liisa (Ondine 2015), the Bergmaniana male choir recording (Alba 2016), as well as the Helsinki Chamber Choir’s Bergman recording (BIS 2017). Publisher Sulasol publishes Antola’s own compositions.

Antola began her voice studies in Finland with her aunt, Aulikki Eerola, followed by masterclasses and private lessons with Marjut Hannula. From 2015 she studied at the Universtität der Künste Berlin (UdK), first with Prof. Elisabeth Werres and then with Prof. Enrico Facini. Her first specialisation was in Lied, working with teachers such as pianists Hendrik Heilmann, Prof. Eric Schneider and Prof. Axel Bauni. Antola graduated as Master of Music from the Lied/Oratorium/Konzert program of Universität der Künste Berlin in 2017.

Antola studied choir conducting in Finland with Timo Nuoranne and Prof. Matti Hyökki as well as at Lyon Conservatory in France (CNSMD Lyon) under Prof. Nicole Corti. Antola’s strength as a choir conductor comes not only from her piano skills and wide musical perceptiveness, but also through her use of singing technique as a path to better choral singing. Antola has worked as chorus master for many opera productions at the Sibelius Academy (Ravel: L’enfant et les sortileges, Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims, Aho: Frida y Diego, Puccini: La Boheme) and from 2013-2015 she was artistic director of Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat (HOL), a high-level student choir in Helsinki. In 2015, HOL was awarded two golden stars at the International Tampere Vocal Music Festival choir review and Antola was rewarded the prize for the best young conductor. Antola still conducts the female choir Valkeat Yöt Ensemble (White Nights Ensemble), founded by singers from the former Daughter of the Baltic youth choir. She is also an experienced singer of renaissance music, being a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.

Antola’s studies are supported by grants from the Olga & Vilho Linnamo foundation, the Selim Eskelin foundation, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Download CV in English (2020-03)

Download CV in German (2020-03)