Powerful singing, gritty kantele playing, hypnotic melodies and polyrhythms are joined by a thirteen-member strong big band wind section and a grooving rhythm section as singer-songwriter Maija Kauhanen, one of the most successful Finnish folk musicians, performs together with the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. Come and witness this unforgettable musical meeting!
Maija Kauhanen is a complete one-woman band in her own right, so what might we expect from a joint concert with UMO? Is Maija Kauhanen UMO’s soloist, or is UMO Maija Kauhanen’s soloist? We can promise that you can feel this concert in your bones!
To our knowledge, big band and kantele has never before been combined in this way – we’re in for a unique world premiere. Mikko Hassinen and Rasmus Soini, who is also the conductor of the concert, are responsible for the arrangements of Maija Kauhanen’s rustic hit songs, inspired by Finnish-Karelian tradition and pop.
Maija Kauhanen is one of the most internationally successful Finnish folk musicians and she has received an Emma award. Kauhanen is known for her one-woman band, virtuosically playing simultaneously the Saarijärvi kantele and percussion instruments as well as singing. Kauhanen has toured all over the world as a solo artist and has performed in around 30 countries in Europe, Asia and America. Kauhanen combines her own texts with traditional folk songs and poetry, creating modern tapestries and topical, dramatic stories. She performs on kantele instruments built by her own father, the luthier Kari Kauhanen. Father and daughter Kauhanen are constantly developing new types of kantele instruments. In recent years, Maija Kauhanen has featured on several internationally recognized records as well as worked as a composer in genre-crossing joint projects in Finland and abroad. In 2023, Kauhanen won the Nordic Council Music Prize for her international solo career. www.maijakauhanen.com
Photo: Maarit Kytöharju