The City of Tampere annually gives out the Cultural Achievement of the Year award. The 2020 award was given to G Livelab Tampere, which is a live music venue founded in 2019 in Koskipuisto.
Founded in Tampere in 2019, G Livelab has renewed the city's music scene and is a valuable new addition to the region's cultural life. The club serves quality performers from almost all genres: international jazz, rock gigs, classical music and children’s concerts.
During the pandemic, the venue has bravely innovated and organized events whenever possible in accordance of corona restrictions. The activities of the club have enlivened the park of the Old Library Building both in summer and in winter.
According to Johanna Loukaskorvi, Deputy Mayor of the City of Tampere, the corona pandemic has punished the event industry with unprecedented severity and made it more difficult for creative actors to do their jobs.
"The Board of Education and Culture wanted to award the cultural prize to a company operating in our area this year, which has created new solutions during 2020 so that local residents have had the opportunity to enjoy quality club music even in the face of restrictions," says Johanna Loukaskorpi.
“Receiving the Cultural Achievement of the Year award warms my hear very much. The award, of course, goes to the entire G Livelab’s great team as well as our owner, the Musicians’ Union. We have done our best to give people the opportunity to experience live music even now in exceptional times, because the energy that makes art good is best transmitted directly from the stage to the audience, from heart to heart. The power of music helps to overcome the crisis,” says Annamaija Saarela, CEO of G Livelab Tampere.
The Cultural Achievement Award is rewarded for a special effort to develop or enrich Tampere's cultural field. The winner of the award was decided at a meeting of the Board of Education and Culture in January. A total of almost 300 nominees for the award were presented. The award was presented to G Livelab by Deputy Mayor Johanna Loukaskorpi at an event held at the Town Hall on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
Photo: Hanna Leppänen