Sam Taskinen

Ensemble: (Former) Staatstheater Kassel, Theater St. Gallen, Komische Oper Berlin

Freelancer: Theater Erfurt, Finnish National Opera, Edinburgh International Festival, Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart Festival

Sam Taskinen is a Finnish bass-baritone based in Metz, France, combining ensemble and freelance work across both opera and concert stages. Recent guest engagements include Fasolt in Das Rheingold at Theater Erfurt, and Marius Wegener in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Lili Elbe at Theater St. Gallen. Future projects include Orest in Elektraat Finnish National Opera and Filippo in Don Carlo with OperaFuerteventura.

Ms. Taskinen received her formal training at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under Sirkka Parviainen and Jorma Elorinne, and has pursued additional private studies with Kamal Khan. She made her soloist debut at the Finnish National Opera and has worked with several Finnish orchestras early in her career.

From 2021 to 2023, she was a permanent ensemble member at Staatstheater Kassel, performing roles including Kaspar and Kuno (Der Freischütz), Fra Melitone (La forza del destino), Crespel and Luther (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and Angelotti (Tosca). She previously sang with Theater St. Gallen, appearing as Quasimodo (Notre Dame), Capitàn (Florencia en el Amazonas), Achilla (Giulio Cesare in Egitto), and Armelinde (Cendrillon), among others. Earlier in her career, she was a studio member at the Komische Oper Berlin, where she sang roles such as Masetto (Don Giovanni), Colline (La bohème), and Krishna (Satyagraha). She has also performed at the Edinburgh International Festival and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.

Ms. Taskinen is active in concert repertoire, having appeared with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pori Sinfonietta, and Händelfestspielorchester Halle, among others. She has performed a wide lied repertoire and premiered Mari Sainio’s monologue opera The Raven, released on Pilfink Records in 2022.

She was awarded third prize at the Klaudia Taev International Opera Competition in 2019 and was a semifinalist in the 2017 Belvedere Competition.