KIMMO POHJONEN BIO 2015 Finnish accordion adventurist Kimmo Pohjonen is internationally known for revolutionizing accordion music, sound and performance. His custom-made, electrified and MIDI-fied instrument plus voice, effects, samples, surround sound and light show combine to make a unique and captivating performance experience. A visionary of boundless energy, Pohjonen’s roots go back forty years in all forms of accordion music including folk, dance, classical, rock, experimental, theatre music and more. His studies in the progressive and innovative Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department were a critical factor in Pohjonen’s transition to the boldly creative and versatile, internationally successful musician/performer he is today. Pohjonen activities: -Pohjonen celebrated his fiftieth year on Earth with anniversary concerts at Helsinki Festival on Aug 26th with Kronos Quartet and in Tamperetalo, Tampere, Finland on Sept 26 with a two hour extravaganza of various projects from his entire career. Pohjonen is now recording a new album for 2015 release. -Pohjonen and Finland’s top ballet dancer Minna Tervamäki present the project Bright Shadow. Tervamäki (previously with the Finnish National Ballet) has performed in all of the important classical ballets’ main roles and has worked with the most interesting contemporary choreographers, such as Ohad Naharin and Mats Ek. She also works actively as a choreographer. The artists' co-operation began on the stage of the Finnish National Opera in 2011 and has evolved conceptually throughout 2012. Bright Shadow has been performed in Finland and Germany. -A full length documentary film about Pohjonen, entitled Soundbreaker premiered in early 2012 in New Zealand, Australia and Finland and has since been shown in over thirty countries. Directed by Kimmo Koskela, the film is a portrait of Pohjonen from early years to the present including archive and current material, interviews, concert video and more. Soundbreaker won the “Prix de la Création / Award for Creativity” at the 30th International Festival of Films on Art, Montreal, 2012. It was shown throughout Germany in 2013/14 in almost fifty cities and broadcast on 3sat TV in Germany, Austria, Switzerland. -Kimmo Pohjonen and sampling master Samuli Kosminen meet Kronos Quartet in the Uniko project featuring music composed by Pohjonen and Kosminen. Uniko performances took place in Helsinki, Moscow and Molde Jazz Festival plus three shows at BAM NEXT WAVE festival in New York. Uniko was also performed at Colours of Ostrava in Czech Republic and Palace of the Arts in Budapest, Barbican Centre, London and Katowice, Poland. The Uniko album with Pohjonen, Kosminen and Kronos was recorded in New York and Helsinki from 2007-2010, produced by Iceland’s Valgeir Sigurdsson and was released worldwide by Ondine label of Finland in Febrary 2011. The Uniko DVD with Kronos was released worldwide by CMajor. Uniko is also performed with Finland’s Proton String Quartet and have had successful concerts in Finland, Estonia, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Macau, Belgium and Roskilde Festival plus a concert for Mezzo Voce TV program, broadcast on French TV in 2015 -Kimmo Pohjonen and drummer/vocalist Saana Pohjonen perform in the new duo formation featuring all new compositions. They have performed in Finland, Georgia, Slovenia, Germany and Estonia. -Pohjonen works in an improvisation duo with French drummer, Eric Echampard. They released a live album Uumen and have performed in Finland, France, Estonia, Norway and Netherlands. They will tour Finland, plus Milan, in February 2015. -Pohjonen and Finnish artist Ismo Alanko premiered their collaboration project, pohonen alanko, with three concerts in 2014. The focus of the project is vocal experimentation and excursions. -KTU (pronounced ”K2”) is the band featuring Pohjonen with Texans Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn from King Crimson. The latest KTU album, entitled Quiver, was released in 2009 in Europe, Japan and America. Concerts include Helsinki, Moscow, Tampere Jazz Happening, Tallinn, Moers Festival, Jena, Tokyo, Wien Accordion Festival, Ljubljana, FIMAV in Victoriaville (Canada), Nattjazz (Norway), SPOT Festival (Denmark), Pohoda Festival (Slovakia) and Drumfest (Poland). Other concert highlights are the 2005 and 2008 shows at FMM Festival in Sines (Portugal) their 2007 North American tour featuring two nights in Mexico City and Etnosur Festival (Spain). KTU performed on the same bill with Patti Smith and Keith Emerson in Kazan,Tatarstan 2008. The first KTU album 8 Armed Monkey (also featuring sampling genius Samuli Kosminen) was released in 2005. -Kimmo Pohjonen performs in duo formation with sampling master Samuli Kosminen (also known from Icelandic band MuM) or Juuso Hannukainen (who also plays with Sami singer Wimme). Accordion samples and voice samples combine with live electronic accordion and voice to produce what has been described as ”like being inside an accordion tornado”. Kimmo Pohjonen and Juuso Hannukainen also perform in collaboration with Ukrainian group DakhaBrakha. -Heikki Laitinen and Kimmo Pohjonen collaborate on the project Murder Ballads with their 2012 CD of traditional Finnish murder songs. -Kimmo Pohjonen’s Accordion Wrestling project featuring Pohjonen and ten Finnish wrestlers, is a revival of Finnish wrestling tradition from early to mid-1900s where accordion was included as musical accompaniment for wrestling matches. Accordion Wrestling expands the tradition into a theatrical sport, dance and music performance art piece with direction/choreography by Ari Numminen, light design by Mikki Kunttu, sound design by Heikki Iso-Ahola and Finnish wrestling group Helsinki Nelson. Twelve performances took place in Finland, 2010 and at Kampnagel, Hamburg’s Rantakala Festival, 2011. Accordion Wrestling was performed in UK, Amsterdam and NYC in 2012. -Pohjonen’s Earth Machine Music project is a live concert program featuring Pohjonen in collaboration with farmers, featuring accordion with live and sampled sounds of farm machines and noises. Earth Machine Music began in Rämsöö, Finland in 2006, toured UK in 2008 and returned to Finland in 2008 in the Motor Symphony festival in Rämsöö. Earth Machine Music toured Queensland, Australia in summer 2009. -K Cube trio features Kimmo Pohjonen – accordion, Sami Kuoppamäki – drums and Timo Kämäräinen – guitars. The K Cube focus is on instrumental solo, duo and trio compositions, improvisations and explorations. They have toured Finland, Belgium and Netherlands. Pohjonen collaborated with K Cube, Proton String Quartet, director Kari Heiskanen and Ari Numminen for the performance called Battle at Turku Cultural Capital 2011 events at Paavo Nurmi Stadium. -Pohjonen meets visual performance artist Ville Walo in the project called Rautakeuhko "Iron Lung" The hour long music theatre performance art piece features Walo and Pohjonen and over one hundred accordion bellows and music composed by Pohjonen. Its premiere was at Verkatehdas, Vanajasali in Hämeenlinna, Finland in 2009. It was also performed in Szczecin, Poland at the Kontrapunkt festival 2011 and again in Helsinki, 2011. -Pohjonen composed music for the Finnish dance performance Hardcore Humppa by choreographer Harri Kuorelahti and the Helsinki Dance Company. The premiere was September 2009 at Helsinki City Theatre and the performance ran through November 2009. Pohjonen also composed music for the Swedish dance performance premiered in October 2006 by choreographer Lisa Torun. Pohjonen collaborated in Paris in June 2006 with dancers /choreographers Tero Saarinen and Carolyn Carlson. Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen directed the Finnish National Opera Ballet performing Pohjonen’s Kielo music at Helsinki‘s National Opera House and again in Netherlands and Australia with local dance companies. -Pohjonen has composed and performed music for three films: the British short film Flickerman and the Ivory-Skinned Woman, the Russian full length feature film, Majak and, with Samuli Kosminen, the full length Finnish feature film Jade Warrior where they won the Finnish Jussi Award for Best Film-Score. They have also composed music for a Finnish ”new circus theatre” performance, Keskusteluja. -Pohjonen enjoys a high profile UK with performances over the years at WOMAD, The Proms at Royal Albert Hall London, Jazz Festival at the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall. Pohjonen has performed at two Meltdown Festivals in London: Pohjonen / Kosminen Kluster at David Bowie’s Meltdown performed one set of Bowie music followed by their own show. At Patti Smith’s Meltdown at Royal Festival Hall 2005, Pohjonen and drummer Sami Kuoppamäki participated in the Songs of Experience concert performing music of Jimi Hendrix. Pohjonen also toured his projects Earth Machine Music and Accordion Wrestling in UK. Pohjonen was nominated for BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in 2002 and 2005 for the BBC Radio 3 Planet Award. -Kimmo Pohjonen has received two consecutive five year artist grants from the Finnish state. He was Named “Accordionist of the Year” for 2000 and 2001 in Finnish Jazz magazine Jazz Rytmit and received the Nordic Council Music Award. In December 2012 Pohjonen was awarded two prizes: the Aesthetic Act of 2012 Prize for his work with Romanian street musicians and the Order of the Lion of Finland, Pro Finlandia award, a prestigious medal awarded by the Finnish president annually to Finns who have distinguished themselves in the field of arts and science, and is one of Finland’s highest honours. -Past projects