Kimmo Pohjonen 60th Anniversary Concert

Information

Tickets 47 €
Pensioners 42 €
Children under 16-year-old and students 25 €

Finland’s internationally acclaimed accordion artist, composer, and social activist Kimmo Pohjonen will mark his 60th anniversary year with a spectacular celebration at Tampere Hall on November 10.

The Father’s Day Sunday concert will feature the thought-provoking solo work 60 Zone, created for the anniversary year, as well as the beloved UNIKO, with Pohjonen accompanied by percussionist Juuso Hannukainen and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Grammy-winning conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. Expect an evening full of unforgettable moments and surprises.

The concert duration is approximately 3 hours, including one intermission.

Event details are subject to change.

Produced by Tampere Hall.

The anniversary concert is supported by the Finnish-Estonian Cultural Foundation and the Estonian Ministry of Culture.

The event is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia in Finland and the Nargen Festival.

The boundary-breaking accordion rebel Kimmo Pohjonen celebrates his 60th anniversary in great company at Tampere Hall.

”I could never have imagined, even in my wildest dreams, where the accordion would take me. When I first picked up the instrument under my father’s guidance at the Viiala Accordion Club at the age of 10, the accordion was definitely the least popular instrument, played only by wimps. I was embarrassed about it too, until, after a while, I wasn’t anymore”, laughs Kimmo Pohjonen, who turned 60 in August.

Pohjonen’s illustrious career has taken him around the world. The artist and social activist, who hails from Viiala in Akaa, is a man of contrasts, unafraid to speak out when he encounters injustice. Pohjonen has gone from performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall to playing on the streets of Helsinki alongside Roma beggars, from performing for Norwegian royalty to saving a swamp in Ilomantsi, and from being escorted to jail by the police while defending young climate activists.

Recipient of the Pro Finlandia medal, Pohjonen has collaborated with international top-tier artists such as King Crimson’s drummer Pat Mastelotto, Warr guitarist Trey Gunn, choreographer-dancers Carolyn Carlson, Tero Saarinen, and Minna Tervamäki, as well as the Kronos Quartet. Rock legends David Bowie and Patti Smith invited Pohjonen to perform at their curated Meltdown festivals in London in 2002 and 2005.

”Kimmo Pohjonen is an exceptional artist. It seems that nowadays people think the role of artists is to please, but that’s certainly not the case. An artist’s role is to take a stand, highlight the frightening and sharp injustices, show us the future, and of course, also bring us together and build hope. In all of this, Pohjonen is a master. He has brought together and made visible to us Finns not only the world’s brightest top artists but also the marginalized and downtrodden”, says Paulina Ahokas, CEO of Tampere Hall.

”In my work, it is important for me to highlight issues in the surrounding world and the related injustices. If I don’t do that, I have to ask myself: why am I making music and working in this profession at all? The primary role of art—bringing about change and addressing injustices—has been overshadowed for many by the intense competition for funding and popularity. It feels like there is more than enough entertainment and audience-pleasing available. In my performances, I also want to provide comfort to my audience, but if my goal were solely consensus and to shut out the surrounding world from my work, it would feel like a waste of all the effort”, Pohjonen says.

Strenght in collaboration

Kimmo Pohjonen, often referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion, has managed to create a completely unique and recognizable sound with his compositions and wild performances, regardless of genre. Over the years, Pohjonen’s bellows have produced everything from electronic music and schlager to avant-garde, classical, rock, jazz, and folk music. The artist has also composed a substantial amount of film music. The anniversary year solo piece 60 Zone boldly addresses a range of issues, from wars and dictators to the climate crisis and deforestation.

”The central idea of my career has been to break the strong stereotypes associated with playing the accordion and the instrument itself. My solos have become the most important laboratory for my work, where the most significant messages are best expressed. In the 60 Zone piece, which will be heard at Tampere Hall, the sound world and compositions of the instrument are finally what I want to hear from the accordion. Using new playing techniques, I perform multiple harmonic and rhythmic layers on the accordion and with the human voice simultaneously in live performance”, Pohjonen says.

The other major work of the anniversary concert is Pohjonen’s most significant, enduring, and diverse piece, UNIKO. Over the years, the artist has performed UNIKO in a variety of settings, including some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Barbican in London, as well as at the Colours of Ostrava jazz festival.

Pohjonen is easily excited about collaborating with other artists. When he turned 50 in the fall of 2014, an unforgettable anniversary concert was also held at Tampere Hall with the help of a diverse group of guest artists. In the November concert, UNIKO will be performed by Pohjonen, percussionist Juuso Hannukainen, and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, one of Estonia’s flagship ensembles. The piece will be conducted by the Grammy-winning maestro Tõnu Kaljuste.

”I have personally had the opportunity to work with Kimmo Pohjonen on several continents for 25 years, and the significance of this is difficult to put into words. The anniversary concert will offer a chance to witness both the most terrifying and the best and most beautiful aspects of human nature. We are greatly honored to have one of Europe’s most esteemed orchestras, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, with internationally recognized conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. There will also be surprise guests at the concert, who you can only experience by attending”, Paulina Ahokas hints.