Katrina - a musical theatre

A Powerful and gripping story told through musical theatre

The Katrina Cultural Association celebrates 25 years of work in developing Åand´s music scene with a new staging of the musical theatre production  “Katrina” from the 1997. A award-winning mezzo-soprano Erica Back will star in the title role.

The production brings to life Sally Salminen´s novel “Katrina” , an important part of Ålands´s cultural heritage. The book became an international success when it was published  in 1936 and is now part of Finland´s literary canon. Sally Salminen (1906-1976) was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times in her lifetime.

In the Summer of 2024, composer Jack Mattssons´s (1954-2007) beloved music and linguist Lars Huldén´s (1926-2016) lyrics will be given new life in “Katrina - a musical theatre”. In order to reach a new and younger audience, the work is being performed with a new script written by the director Ida Kronholm in collaboration with the poet and writer Carina Karlsson, both from Åland. At the same time, the Katrina Cultural Association, which 25 years ago borrowed its name from Salminens´s novel, is marking the 70th anniversary of Jack Mattsson´s birth.

The novel i s about Katrina, a farmer's daughter from Ostrobothina who meets Ålander Johan, gets married and moves to Åland. Here the harsh archipelago life is not quite what Johan had promised. Through Katrina´s eyes. We get to see everyday life among the poor and rich around the turn of the last century.

From the moment the curtain rises until it falls after the final act, Katrina is on stage. In Erica Back´s portrayal, you get to meet a hard-working woman and mother who does not shy away from challenging the strong  man of the village. Through her unwavering sense of duty and justice, she eventually earns respect while reconciling with her fate.

Other soloists in the ensemble include baritone Leonarde Brändström in the role of Johan, bass-baritone Philip Björklqvist as Captain Nordkvist, soprano Therese Karlsson as Katrina`s friend Beda and tenor Andreas Nordström as the son Erik.