MONDAY AUG 5th at 7 p.m.
Sibelius Hall, Ankkurikatu 7, Lahti
La Vie, l'Amour, la Mort
– songs about life, love and death
Jorma Uotinen, song
Miikka Kallio, organ
Petri Ikkelä, bandoneon
Helena Plathán, cello
Ilkka Joronen, piano
Legendary dance artist, choreographer, artistic director, and TV star Jorma Uotinen is nowadays also a very popular interpreter of songs. With his band, his velvety voice and unique interpretation take the audience to Paris one moment, and to South America the next.
The band includes Miikka Kallio on organ, Petri Ikkelä on bandoneon/accordion/arrangements, Helena Plathan on cello, and Ilkka Joronen on piano. A star concert of organ music, absolutely!
Tickets 35€ *
* + subscription fees (from 1.50 € / order www.lippu.fi) and an hour before the door.
Jorma Uotinen is a renowned Finnish artist known to all Finns – a dancer, singer, and choreographer. In 2012, he was awarded the title of Professor. Uotinen served as the artistic director of the Helsinki City Theatre Dance Group from 1987 to 1990, the Finnish National Ballet from 1992 to 2001, and the Kuopio Dance Festival from 2002 to 2019.
As a dancer and choreographer, Uotinen has worked both in Finland and abroad with various dance companies, such as the Paris Opera, La Scala in Milan, and the Royal Danish Ballet. Throughout his career, he has received numerous Finnish and international awards and honors.
Uotinen is also a judge on the popular TV show
”Dancing with the Stars.”
Photo: Mika Toivanen
Helena Plathán graduated as a Master of Music (Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, 1997), majoring in cello. She has worked as a freelancer and entrepreneur in the music industry since the 1990s. Plathán has performed in numerous TV shows, concert tours, individual concerts, and corporate events in nearly 20 different countries, in addition to her home country. Helena Plathán has performed and continues to perform with top Finnish artists, both in classical and popular music. She works closely with artists such as Jorma Uotinen, Jyrki Anttila, Maria Lund, and Danny. Her collaborators also include the Vantaa Pops Orchestra and numerous schlager and tango singers.
Helena Plathán has also worked with several symphony orchestras in Finland. Additionally, she has taught at many of the country’s leading music institutions as a cello instructor.
In addition to her teaching and orchestral work, Helena Plathán performs in about 120 concerts annually in churches, concert halls, private and corporate events, and major music festivals. Plathán has also recorded and participated in many classical and popular music recording projects.
Miikka Kallio is a versatile pianist, organist, and composer from Lahti. His annual ”Night at the Church of the Cross” concerts consistently draw full houses. Kallio approaches the church organ with the comprehensive style of a jazz or rock band.
He has performed with numerous top Finnish musicians and has also had a successful career as a classical music composer, particularly in Russia.
One of the most significant, remarkable, and perhaps the most interesting artist in Finnish accordion music, and the only Finnish musician who plays the 1-row, 2-row, 3-row, and 5-row diatonic accordion, as well as the melody bass accordion, concertina, symphonium, accordina, and bandoneon, is Petri Ikkelä (b. 1965). He studied at the Sibelius Academy in both the soloist and folk music departments, graduating with a Master of Music degree in 1998.
Petri currently works as a freelance musician, music teacher, arranger, composer, and conductor in various ensembles spanning entertainment, classical, and folk music. Petri Ikkelä’s pioneering work in Argentine tango and the new Finnish tango influenced by it has been particularly significant. Consequently, he has brought new international nuances to Finnish music, creating intriguing dimensions by combining tradition with innovation for the enjoyment of all music lovers. He has entertained audiences both in Finland and abroad, including in Sweden, Malaysia, North Korea, and the United States, as a member of various ensembles and as a soloist.
Ilkka Joronen is a versatile pianist from Helsinki. He graduated not only from the classical soloist department of the Sibelius Academy but also later from the pop/jazz department of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
Ilkka performs concerts and gigs in almost all genres (e.g., classical, jazz, big band, theater, Argentine tango, rock, pop). He works as an accompanist for the Lohja City Orchestra and as a pianist for DDT, and he teaches piano and pop/jazz piano at the Länsi-Uusimaa Music Institute.