The Nutcracker – Anna Airola, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra

Anna Airola & UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra -- The Nutcracker Suite & Tale The Nutcracker, the most enchanting jazzy fairy tale of Christmas, which sold-out venues in the past years, is coming again! The storyteller is Anna Airola and the music is provided by the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra plays Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's jazz arrangement of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece, The Nutcracker. Beloved actress Anna Airola brings the story to life and reads the fairy tale written by E.T.A. Hoffmann about the Christmas night adventure of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Note! The fairy tale will be read in Finnish. Glittering winter forests, an enchanted marzipan castle, toys that miraculously come alive... The Nutcracker Tale is full of magic and exciting twists! The plot of The Nutcracker, one of Tchaikovsky's most famous and acclaimed ballets, is based on E.T.A. Hoffman's Christmas story. The ballet was premiered in December 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and in 1960 Ellington and Strayhorn arranged and recorded their own interpretation of the beloved piece. The jazz adaptation has in recent years become a UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra's Christmas tradition, which is now spiced up with a fairy tale. Let yourself be carried away by the fairy tale -- and jazz! Note! The fairy tale will be read in Finnish. The concert is suitable for the whole family, but especially with the smallest concertgoers, we recommend preparing for loud volumes with earmuffs or plugs. Doors open 30 minutes before the showtime. Duration c. 70 min, no intermission. Video: Anna Airola (b. 1994) is a popular and award-winning actress hailing from Kokkola. Airola, who graduated from the Theatre Academy in 2022, has been chosen as the Best TV Actress of the Year and awarded with the Kultainen Venla prize for her role as Oona in Yle's Aikuiset series. Airola, who grew up in a musical family, sings in the Ykspihlajan kino-orkesteri and has played tenor horn as well. UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra: great achievements and mastery in jazz since 1975! Throughout the decades, UMO has been at the forefront of Finnish jazz. This multi-award-winning ensemble -- recipient of the Yrjö and Emma awards and a Grammy nominee -- has shared the stage with international jazz legends as well as the brightest stars of the Finnish music scene. With a distinguished discography of over 60 albums, Helsinki's own "jazz city orchestra" performs across Finland, reaching 35,000 listeners through more than 100 concerts annually. At the heart of UMO is a commitment to new music. The orchestra's versatile repertoire fearlessly pushes boundaries, from jazz and soulful grooves to classical fusion. umohelsinki.fi ↗ Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen Illustration: Luova toimisto Pilke