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Inquiries and accreditation

Marketing and communications manager, ms. Niina Eeva, p. +358 45 1477655, niina@umohelsinki.fi

UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra in a nutshell

UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra: great achievements and mastery in jazz since 1975! Throughout the decades, UMO has been at the forefront of Finnish jazz. This multi-award-winning ensemble – recipient of the Yrjö and Emma awards and a Grammy nominee – has shared the stage with international jazz legends as well as the brightest stars of the Finnish music scene. With a distinguished discography of over 60 albums, Helsinki’s own “jazz city orchestra” performs across Finland, reaching 35,000 listeners through more than 100 concerts annually. At the heart of UMO is a commitment to new music. The orchestra’s versatile repertoire fearlessly pushes boundaries, from jazz and soulful grooves to classical fusion.

UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra is the only professional orchestra in Finland specialized in jazz and new rhythm-oriented music. It is a Helsinki-based professional big band employing top musicians.
The big band of 16 musicians plays about 100 concerts every year in Finland and abroad.
The orchestra plays a diverse range of modern music that is on the pulse of the times. The programme varies from jazz to soul and classical music, mixing old and new in surprising way. By commissioning and presenting as much new material as possible, UMO Helsinki encourages and supports Finnish jazz production.
Musicians in UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra are some of the best jazz musicians in Finland. There are over 150 musicians, composers, directors and artists working with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra every year. The band also acts as a hands-on educational establishment for Finnish musicians in the fields of jazz and popular music.
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra was founded in 1975 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025–2026.
In the past decades, UMO Helsinki has featured with dozens of artist from Dizzy Gillespie to Natalie Cole, Manhattan Transfer and Gregory Porter. Orchestra’s history (in Finnish, sorry!) is seen www.umohelsinki.fi/40.
UMO Helsinki is highly appreciated and one of the world’s leading big bands.
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra has recorded over 60 albums and there are more than 4000 compositions in orchestra’s library.
The orchestra is administered by the UMO Foundation, which is owned by the city of Helsinki. It is funded by the Ministry of education and culture as well as the city of Helsinki.
UMO Helsinki is a member of Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras, Finnish Jazz Federation, European Music Circle and European Jazz Network.
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra’s vision, mission and values (2020) can be seen here.