Info

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 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 80 concerts every year in Finland and abroad.
The Chief Conductor and Artistic Director is Ed Partyka
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, from children to senior citizens. 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 will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025.
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 but 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.