NEW YORK, April 6 -- School shootings are a tragically common occurrence in the United States, but rarely do they grace the stage of one of the world's premier opera houses.

But on Monday, Kaija Saariaho's Innocence-which explores how a devastating attack at an international school in Finland reverberates through the lives of its survivors and the community-will debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

For celebrated US mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, taking on the piece at the current time was necessary.

"It was the subject matter and feeling the importance of telling the story and telling the story in America in 2026," DiDonato told AFP ahead of the premiere.

The 110-minute piece, first performed at the Aix-en-Provence music festi...