Jazz Finland Live

Conductor: Kari Heinilä

The by now traditional Christmas concert tour of UMO will this year be headlining leading Finnish performing artist Vuokko Hovatta, whose third solo album is scheduled for release in September.

The Christmas tour will span two weeks at the turn of November and December, with concerts at Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki and the Church of St Lawrence in Vantaa, and further afield in Porvoo, Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, Kouvola and Kotka.

The repertoire will feature some of the best-known and most beloved Christmas songs by celebrated Finnish poets and composers such as Eino Leino, Viktor Rydberg, Jean Sibelius and Zachris Topelius. Classic numbers will include Arkihuolesi kaikki heitä, A Child is Born and Tonttu. The arrangements are written with church acoustics in mind.

Vuokko Hovatta (b. 1972) is a singer and actress who became known as a member of the band Ultra Bra in the 1990s. She released her first solo album in 2008, and her third is scheduled to be released in September this year. Vuokko Hovatta has appeared in several musicals (including Evita and Wicked), stage plays (including The King’s Speech and Missä kuljimme kerran) and films (including Suden arvoitus). At the moment, she is busy not only with her solo career but also as a member of the Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi with Paula Vesala and Manna.