UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra's children's music project, featuring joint concerts with Pikku Papu's Orchestra, was awarded as the Children's Music Initiative of the Year at the Jellona Gala.
The jury's reasoning: "This children's music initiative skillfully combines different musical genres. It offers children—and adults—an experience where perhaps less familiar instruments and the music and sound of a large band are brought together in excellent, fun, and intriguing arrangements. These arrangements showcase how skillfully and diversely a large jazz band can present its instruments, genre, and activities in a child-friendly way. This recognition is particularly an encouragement for new children's music to meet jazz in the future."
This year, UMO has held a total of eight children's concerts with Pikku Papu's Orchestra, reaching over 4,000 children. Half of the concerts were free events specifically for kindergartens. The big band arrangements of Pikku Papu’s music were done by conductor Mikko Hassinen.
The Children's Music Jellona Gala was held on Children's Rights Day, the annual Children's Music Day on November 20, 2024. Children's Music Day is a nationwide celebration of children's music, emphasizing that children have a right and a need for their own music. The gala honored distinguished creators and performers in children's music across various categories.
For more details on the winners, visit Lastenmusiikki.fi.