Musician Veera Neva. Photo: Juuso Haarala
Oulu2026 X Jazz in Finland 100
The year 2026 marks 100 years since jazz symbolically arrived in Finland aboard the Andania ship and the story of Finnish jazz began.
This milestone will be celebrated in the Oulu2026 programme with a wide-ranging showcase of jazz. Expect captivating music, a summery atmosphere, and joyful encounters— Let’s celebrate a century of jazz!
Elojazz Village 30 Jul – 2nd Aug
The birthday of Finnish jazz music will be celebrated during Elojazz festival in Oulu, welcome to the New Orleans-themed jazz village!
The performers include the world-renowned Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Delfeayo Marsalis & Oulu All Star Big Band, UMO & Cyrille Aimée, Nicholas Payton, Aili Ikonen & Oona Airola and Mikko Innanen & Jazz Suomi 100 Nyt.
The main concerts will take place at the new event venue Tarkastamo at Oulu Market Square, but jazz can be enjoyed in local restaurants and on terraces across the city center.
The event is produced by Elojazz and Oulu2026.
Jazz legend arrives in Oulu
The year of jazz in Oulu culminates in December with a concert by one of jazz’s leading names, Wynton Marsalis. The nine-time Grammy winner and Pulitzer Prize–winning trumpeter will perform with the 15-member Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at Madetoja Hall on December 2.
Marsalis is an exceptional trumpeter and composer whose achievements extend beyond the boundaries of jazz and classical music. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which he founded, is regarded as the world’s finest jazz orchestra.
“Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra visiting Oulu is a truly historic moment for the city and for the entire Finnish jazz scene. It is made even more significant by the fact that Marsalis will step down from his role at Jazz at Lincoln Center after four decades next year,” says Oulu2026 Programme Director Samu Forsblom.
The concert theme is the seasonally fitting Big Band Holidays, featuring vocalists Catherine Russell and Georgia Heers. The concert is produced in collaboration by Oulu2026, Oulu Music Festival, and Oulu Music Centre.
More of Marsalis’s work will be heard when the Oulu Symphony, conducted by Rumon Gamba, and the Oulu All Star Big Band perform his third symphony, Swing Symphony, on November 11th. The jazz icon’s piece takes the audience on a journey through the history of American jazz.
Coming up
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The year 2026 marks 100 years since jazz symbolically arrived in Finland aboard the Andania ship. The centenary celebration, Jazz in Finland 100, will highlight Finnish jazz and its artists at home and abroad, recognising jazz as an integral part of Finland’s cultural heritage. The Jazz in Finland 100 campaign is coordinated by the Finnish Jazz Federation.
