MilesMykkanen

The career of exuberant young Finnish-American tenor Miles Mykkanen was launched with a national win of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2019. He has since impressed with a series of important debuts on the world’s major stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera, Dutch National Opera and the Royal Ballet and Opera.

Mykkanen has quickly become the go-to tenor for roles requiring a deft balance of power, lyricism, and dramatic acuity, as showcased in Ted Huffman's productions of L’incoronazione di Poppea at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Philip Venables new work We Are The Lucky Ones for the Dutch National Opera and the North American premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence at San Francisco Opera.

Highlights in his 2025/26 season include the role of Clay in the world premiere of Mason Bates' new opera The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Metropolitan Opera, The Bridegroom in Innocence, also at the Met, Tamino Die Zauberflöte in his debut for the Los Angeles Opera and Leukippos in concert performances of Dahpne in his debut for the Seattle Opera. On the concert platform he will sing Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 with the Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst, Carmina Burana at the Masstricht Festival with pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen and Messiah with Music of the Baroque/Dame Jane Glover.

Mykkanen’s compelling blend of charisma and honesty has engaged audiences in cabaret performances at Joe’s Pub, Neue Galerie’s Cabaret at Café Sabarsky, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he curated Lavender Nights, a live installation of queer anthems. He honed his artistic flexibility in explorations of chamber music and art song with legendary musicians like Mitsuko Uchida, Malcolm Martineau, Roger Vignoles, and Steven Blier at the Marlboro Music Festival, New York Festival of Song, New World Symphony, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

A proud Yooper from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Mykkanen leveraged his pandemic downtime to create community around the arts in his hometown of Ironwood. Emberlight has now produced 119 individual events – including a film festival with entries from 83 countries, live performances of chamber music, cabarets, and plays, a photography show and public art installations, and performance infusions featuring regional artists in everything from Ojibwe basket weaving to wool waulking. More than 70% of those events have been free to attend, ensuring that the arts are accessible to everyone in the rural region.