On Thursday, April 11th, Turku Jazz Orchestra will host a concert night at the Utopia Club featuring one of Finland's leading vocal artists, Antti Koivula, taking on the role of vocal soloist for the works of American composer Frank Zappa. This spectacle will be seen for the first time in Finland with accompaniment by a big band.
Singer Antti Koivula, known for blending pop, classical music, and rhythm & blues in his expression, has been performing Frank Zappa's repertoire with the Frank Zappa Memorial Pancake Breakfast band for nearly two decades, from rock and jazz clubs in Finland to venues abroad. Zappa's diverse songbook suits this vocal acrobat so well that even Zappa's son Dweezil has been known to recruit Koivula as a vocalist for his Zappa Plays Zappa band.
Versatile musician and vocal coach Antti Koivula gained popularity among the general public as a skillful lead vocalist for Sami Pitkämön Orchestra on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. On Thursday, April 11th, Koivula will perform for the first time with Turku Jazz Orchestra.
The fresh big band versions of Zappa's music are crafted by the arranging masters Mikko Hassinen, Sampo Kasurinen and the artistic director of the Turku Jazz Orchestra Ville Vannemaa, who also serves as the conductor for the concert evening. The deliciously challenging program includes compositions like Peaches En Regalia and Montana.
Turku Jazz Orchestra X Zappa X Antti Koivula
Thursday, April 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM)
Utopia
Humalistonkatu 8a (courtyard), Turku
Turku Jazz Orchestra
Ville Vannemaa – conductor
Antti Koivula – vocals
Advance tickets: Tiketti
Regular ticket €29
Seniors €27
Students €15
Group ticket (10 persons or more) €25
Tickets also available at the Utopia door on the concert day starting at 7:00 PM if the event is not sold out in advance.
The concert's duration is approximately 1.5 hours.
Age limit: 18 years. The venue is not wheelchair accessible, and Utopia primarily has standing room.
Turku Jazz Orchestra lineup for the concert:
Saxophones:
Jusu Heinonen
Tane Kannisto
Kimmo Gröhn
Kasper Haikonen
Samuli Nieminen
Trombones:
Jani Jokinen
Gustav Nyström
Vesa Huhtasalo
Pekka Laurikka
Trumpets:
Tapio Maunuvaara
Petter Järvi
Timo Mansikka-aho
Rami Koskinen
Ilmari Aitoaho – keyboards
Jonatan Snapir – guitar
Vesa Saloranta – bass
Anssi Tirkkonen – drums