Yrjö Award Concert at Tampere Jazz Happening
The Yrjö Prize, awarded by the Finnish Jazz Federation, is the most prestigious recognition in Finnish jazz, given to an accomplished Finnish jazz musician. Since 1967, the Jazz Federation has awarded the Yrjö Prize as part of the National Jazz Days, an event that brings together the federation’s members. For the eleventh consecutive year, the prize ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Tampere Jazz Happening.
The 2024 Yrjö Award recipient will be announced at Tampere’s Pakkahuone on Friday, November 1, at 7:00 PM as part of the Tampere Jazz Happening program. Following the ceremony, the award-winning artist will perform a short concert. Concert tickets for the Yrjö ceremony are not sold separately; the event is included in the Friday program at Pakkahuone.
The physical Yrjö Award artwork will also be revealed on the Pakkahuone stage. This year, artist Riikka Anttonen has created the custom artwork for the 2024 Yrjö Award recipient. Anttonen’s works are next set to appear in venues including the Helsinki Kunsthalle and the Bærum Kunsthall in Oslo. Additionally, her work is part of the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma.
Since 1988, the Finnish Jazz Federation has also awarded the discretionary Andania Award for significant, long-term contributions to Finnish jazz. In 2023, the Jazz Federation introduced the annual Taimi Award, awarded to a young musician passionately developing their musical expression. The Taimi Award includes performance opportunities at three Finnish jazz festivals, which this year are the Porvoo Jazz Festival, Salo Jazz Festival, and the Jazz-Espa Festival organized by the Jazz Federation.
At the awards ceremony, Yle’s Jazzradio will also present its own Shadow Yrjö Award, honoring contributions to jazz culture.
Photo: The 2023 Yrjö Award recipient, saxophonist Linda Fredriksson.
Photo credit: Maarit Kytöharju