The Most Beautiful Melodies of Christmas: Tango King Juho Punkeri, mezzo-soprano Laura Mäkitalo & Risto Lauriala, piano

Tango King 2026 Juho Punkeri comes to Helsinki for a Christmas concert! Crowned Tango King in July 2026, Juho Punkeri joins mezzo-soprano Laura Mäkitalo and legendary Finnish pianist Risto Lauriala for “The Most Beautiful Melodies of Christmas” at the atmospheric Huopalahti Church on Saturday, 12 December 2026 at 16.00 Alongside timeless Christmas favourites, the programme features a selection of tangos, duets and classical music. The Tango King will also showcase his skills as a violinist. Juho Punkeri is a highly trained professional singer, church musician at Hämeenlinna-Vanaja Parish, choir conductor, singing teacher and accomplished violinist. He holds master’s degrees in both church music and opera from the Sibelius Academy and is known as a versatile tenor, particularly for his interpretations of opera, early music and art song. He has appeared as a soloist in Finland and abroad and won the national Helsinki Lied Competition. Since being crowned Tango King, Punkeri has maintained a busy performance schedule across Finland, appearing at dance venues and on concert stages. Mezzo-soprano Laura Mäkitalo, originally from Kalajoki, is an art song and opera singer who has graduated from the Sibelius Academy, the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory and a university of applied sciences. She has performed at the Finnish National Opera, the Savonlinna Opera Festival and in numerous vocal productions ranging from song recitals to opera. Most recently, Mäkitalo sang a role in Esko Alanen’s opera Elokuu, based on the novel of the same name by Frans Emil Sillanpää. In Jyrki Linjama’s opera Three Letters to Laestadius, she performed all the highly demanding female roles, with baritone Esa Ruuttunen singing the role of Laestadius. At the piano is Risto Lauriala, who received the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Elias Lönnrot award medal in spring 2026 in recognition of his life’s work. In addition to performing on international concert stages and throughout Finland, Lauriala has appeared many times at Huopalahti Church over the decades, both in solo recitals and in chamber music concerts with cello professor Marko Ylönen and violinist Tero Latvala. He first came to public prominence after winning the Maj Lind Piano Competition in 1970, followed by the Stepanov Piano Competition in Vienna in 1974. Huopalahti Church 12.12.2026 16.00-17.30 Tickets 20 € from Biletti