Ida Aalberg was the first real star of Finnish-language theater. She was born as the second oldest child of Antti Ahlberg, a farmhand, and his wife Charlotta Lindroos in Leppäkoski, Janakkala. Antti Ahlberg moved in the 1850s to construct the Helsinki-Hämeenlinna railway and was appointed as the track master, after which the family moved to their own cottage located along the railway.

When Ida was 15 years old, university students who were spending their Christmas holiday in Janakkala asked her to perform with them in entertainment plays. The performances at the evening entertainments in Sipilä’s house in Leppäkoski were very successful. Thanks to them, Ida ran away from home and traveled to Hämeenlinna when the Finnish Theater arrived there on tour. The theater’s founder, Kaarlo Bergbom, selected her as an actress for the theater when Ida turned 17.

Ida Aalberg established her position as a popular lead performer, and her skills as both a comedienne and a tragic performer meant a lot for the repertoire of the Finnish Theater, which could be expanded towards both classical works and new domestic productions. Aalberg left the Finnish Theater as early as 1883, but her artistic work continued there mainly as a guest from the late 1880s onwards. When the theater became the Finnish National Theater, Aalberg’s visits were highly anticipated events in Helsinki.

She directed much of her work energy abroad. She took a study trip to Paris from 1883 to 1884, and during the next three years, she also performed a lot abroad. For example, in 1885, she played the role of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Royal Theater in Stockholm in Finnish. She also visited Norway and Copenhagen.

Finnish theater life increasingly interested Aalberg. In 1909, she was appointed as the assistant director of the Finnish National Theater. As a director, Aalberg was not successful and instead performed as an actress. Her contract with the theater was terminated, causing a cultural scandal of its time. She celebrated her 40th artist anniversary in 1914. Aalberg died suddenly in 1915 while she was trying to renew cooperation with the National Theater.

Read more about Ida Aalberg’s life events

Read more about Ida’s most successful roles

What was the secret of Ida Aalberg’s success?

What was the significance of Ida Aalberg for Finnish stage art and Finland?