The festival day on Friday, March 8th, kicks off with celebration at the Logomo Teatro Hall. Turku Jazz Festival introduces two new award categories: Lifetime Achievement Award and Young Jazz Talent Award. The traditional Artist of the Year award goes to Ville Vannemaa.
Turku Jazz Festival annually awards the title of Artist of the Year to a musician who has made significant contributions to the jazz scene in the region of Southwest Finland. In 2024 The Artist of the Year is the versatile musician Ville Vannemaa, whose celebratory concert with the Turku Jazz Orchestra will be held at the Logomo Teatro Hall on Friday, March 8th, immediately following the awards ceremony.
This year, Turku Jazz Festival is also introducing a new Lifetime Achievement Award for a seasoned veteran who has made a significant impact on the jazz scene in Southwest Finland, as well as a new recognition award for a Young Jazz Talent from the region.
"The idea of the Lifetime Achievement Award came from 'audience demand.' We have received requests from several music industry stakeholders to honor a person who has made a significant contribution to Turku's jazz history, and thus the idea of a new award category was born. The idea of recognizing a young rising star felt natural alongside the lifetime award. The new awards will not be annual, but will be granted when the right person comes along," says Sanna Vartiainen, producer of the Turku Jazz Festival.
The names of the new awardees will be revealed to the public during the awards ceremony. All award recipients are selected by the board of Jazz City Turku ry. The award diplomas will be presented at the Logomo Teatro Hall on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 6:45 PM. Admission to the awards ceremony is included with a festival ticket for Friday.