Heikki Hattunen has a beautiful and high tenor voice employed with skill and musicality. He's able to provide a very agile and active appearance on stage when desired. He works currently in the Finnish National Opera as an opera singer on a permanent contract since 2020. His house debute he made already in the season 2018–2019 with roles in two Finnish world premiere operas, Sanatorio Express and Jää (Ice).
In 2024 Hattunen debuted as the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s Passion of St. Matthew in the Helsinki Cathedral and sang at the festival Kirkon juhlat (Lutheran Church of Finland) the role of Archangel Gabriel in Salmenkangas’s Maria Oratorium in Tampere and sang as Espoo Symphony's soloist in Verdi's Requiem. In the autumn season he sang roles in all main stage productions in the Finnish National Opera: The Phantom of the Opera, Salome and The Ostrobothnians.
In 2023 he debuted as a soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem, and in Savonlinna Opera Festival as Monostatos in the updated Magic Flute.
In 2022 Hattunen debuted as the Evangelist and arias in J.S. Bach's Passion of St. John and sang as the tenor soloist in the National Opera's CircOpera2.0.
In 2021 he sang the role of Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore in Joensuu and started his international career by giving a recital in Örebro, Sweden.
Heikki Hattunen performes often as a soloist and evangelist in concerts of both western and orthodox church music. He enjoys also demanding lied music.
Heikki Hattunen has a thorough musical education in opera, art song and church music of both western and orthodox churches. He’s graduated as a singer from the Sibelius Academy (Master of Music, 2019) and as a choir conductor of the Orthodox Church from the University of Joensuu (Master of Theology, 2010). Hattunen used to work as a cantor earlier, and he’s been ordained as a deacon in Orthodox Church of Finland under Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He was awarded the third prize in the Kangasniemi singing competition in 2016.
In addition to the Finnish National Opera Heikki Hattunen has performed as a soloist in Savonlinna Opera Festival, Helsinki Festival, Organ Night and Aria Festival, Tampere Vocal Festival, Lohtaja Church Music Festival and Church Music Festivals of the both state churches of Finland: the Lutheran and the Orthodox Churches.
He has performed with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FiBo), Tapiola Sinfonietta, Kuopio, Joensuu and Vaasa City Orchestras, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Police Band, Tampere Chamber,Tampere Academic Symphony Orchestra and Espoo Symphony.
As a soloist with the choirs Key Ensemble, The Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir, Harju Chamber Choir, Tampere Cathedral Choir, Navichorus, Olari parish’s chamber choir, Cantores Minores (the Choir of Boys and Young Men of Helsinki Cathedral), Pirkanpojat (Boys' choir of Tampere Cathedral), The Youth choir Sympaatti, and the most Finnish orthodox choirs.
Heikki Hattunen has worked with conductors Sakari Oramo, John Storgårds, Hannu Lintu, Klaus Mäkelä, Alberto Hold-Garrido, Patrick Fournillier, Alan Buribayev, Nick Davies, Christian Øland, Kornilios Michailidis, Sasha Goetzel, Jaakko Kuusisto, Kaapo Ijas, Huba Hollókői, Kalle Kuusava, Heikki Liimola, Kimmo Tullila and Riikka Viljakainen.
And in productions with stage directors Christoph Loy, Victoria Newlyn, Erik Söderblom, Anna Kelo, Riikka Räsänen, Charlotta Sevón, Jere Erkkilä, Anselmi Hirvonen, Paavo Westerberg, Maria Sid, Katariina Lahti and Marco Bjurström.