Tenor Saxophonist Melissa Aldana (CL/US) Guest of Jazz Finland Residency in October
Melissa Aldana, one of the leading jazz voices of her generation, will visit Finland in October as part of the Jazz Finland Residency. During her two-week residency, Aldana will perform with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra in Jyväskylä on October 9th, Lahti on October 10th, and Helsinki on October 11th. She will also appear as a guest with the Oulu All Star Big Band in Oulu on October 6th.
Originally from Chile and now based in the United States, saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana (b. 1988) has risen to the top ranks of the jazz world. In 2013, she made history as the first woman and South American instrumentalist to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The renowned DownBeat magazine named Aldana the Rising Star Artist of the Year in 2022, and she has been a Grammy nominee in both 2020 and 2023. Her debut album Visions (2019) with her quartet, followed by 12 Stars (2022), received critical acclaim. Her latest album, Echoes of the Inner Prophet, released in the spring of 2024, has already garnered glowing reviews. Aldana has collaborated with numerous jazz legends, including John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, and SFJAZZ Collective.
Aldana’s collaboration with UMO began last summer at the Pori Jazz Festival, where Jim McNeely’s arrangements of Aldana’s post-bop-inspired compositions were performed by a large orchestra. For the concert series in October, made possible by her residency visit, the repertoire will be expanded with several new arrangements. The conductor for these performances will be Ed Partyka.
In addition to the concert series with UMO, Aldana will also teach at the Sibelius Academy during her visit and perform as a guest with the Oulu All Star Big Band on October 6th.
Melissa Aldana’s Public Performances During the Residency
Sun 6.10. Oulu, Pohjankartano Hall / Oulu All Star Big Band & Melissa Aldana
Tue 8.10. Helsinki, Cable Factory / Open Rehearsal: Melissa Aldana & UMO Helsinki
Wed 9.10. Jyväskylä, Siltasali / Melissa Aldana & UMO Helsinki
Thu 10.10. Lahti, Möysä Music Club / Melissa Aldana & UMO Helsinki
Fri 11.10. Helsinki, Savoy Theater / Melissa Aldana & UMO Helsinki
The Jazz Finland Residency is an international jazz residency program launched by the Finnish Jazz Federation, the Sibelius Academy’s Jazz Department at the University of the Arts, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, and the Musicians’ Union. The residency, coordinated and managed by the Finnish Jazz Federation, includes teaching masterclasses at the Sibelius Academy’s Jazz Department and performing with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra. The concept allows any professional jazz musicians to propose collaborations with the residency artist. Previous residency artists include Joris Roelofs (NL), Guillermo Klein (US), John Hollenbeck (US), and Linda May Han Oh (US). Additional partners of the residency program include Music Finland, Jazz Musicians Finland, and HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme.
Photo: Eduardo Pavez Goye