Participants 2023
... are here !!!
Ville Vannemaa, photo Teemu Mattsson

Junior All Star Big Band Finland is a lineup consisting of the young rising stars of the Finnish jazz scene. Aged between 13-23, the group is filled with talent from all over the country. JAS gathers together three times a year to rehearse together and to get couching from the best jazz musicians in Finland. Since it's forming in 2000 JAS has become the stepping stone for Finnish musicians to make it to the international stages and even as far as Grammy nominations. The artistic director of JAS is Dr. (by jazz) Antti Rissanen.

Conducted by one of the most accomplished Finnish big band musicians, Ville Vannemaa, JAS presents a selection of music by the legendary Thad Jones. The concert program celebrates the 100th birthday of the maestro by bringing to the table big band classics such as Tip-Toe and Groove Merchant. Keep your eyes peeled for the future generation of Finnish Jazz Giants.

Ville Vannemaa is one of the most sought after big band conductors in Finland. He works currently as the artistic director of Turku Jazz Orchestra and has conducted regularly UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Espoo Big Band and Oulu All Star Big Band to name a few. He has as well a vast experience as a multi-reed jazz player, big band arranger and jazz teacher. Vannemaa thinks his versatility as a musician has helped him to gain a reputation as an excellent all-around big band conductor.

Junior All Star Big Band Finland in Imatra Big Band Camp 2017

Sigulda Big Band was founded in 1958, received the name of Latvian National Collective etc. The orchestra has performed at festivals and concerts both in Latvia and abroad. During last 10 years, the friendship with Estonian musicians and music lovers has grown even stronger. The orchestra has played at jazz festivals and concerts in Räpina, Valga, Karksi-Nuia and Tartu.

One of the conductors - Jànis Raslavs (conductor in the years 1962-1975 and 1996-2002) - is also known to the people of Tartu as the conductor of other wind ensembles, whom his long-term contacts with the Tartu Wind Orchestra and the festival "Mürtsub Pill" have brought here many times.
Arnis ©mitiñ¹ leads the big band from October 2022. 

Sigulda Big Band from Latvia

Horre Zeiger Big Band
On October 12, 1954, Horre Zeiger (1932–2013) formed a self-titled big band in the Nõmme Kultuurimaja, where played only eight musicians in the beginning.

Today, the Horre Zeiger BigBand has been active for a total of 68 years, and the band has grown to 17 members. Collaborations have been made with several well-known musicians, including Silvi Vrait, Helgi Sallo, Voldemar Kuslap and others. They have performed in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, the former German Democratic Republic, Ashgabat, Latvia, Lithuania and elsewhere. After the departure of Horre Zeiger, the orchestra was led by Tiit Varts, and from the beginning of 2019, the orchestra is led by Toomas Tutt.

According to Liina Amon, director of the Nõmme Cultural Center, the Horre Zeiger Big Band is an exceptional jazz orchestra on the Estonian music scene. The band has been playing together for 68 years, and for the last 19 years again at the Nõmme Cultural Center.

Horre Zeiger Big Band

TalTech Big Band started in April 2009, when the first rehearsal took place in the VI building of the University of Technology Tallinn. Basically, it was about students who had previously played together in different orchestras. After some experimentation with the line-up, the band became a classic big band that plays mood, classic ballroom and just dance music - styles disco, rock, swing, jazz, etc.

The orchestra operates mainly in Tallinn, but over time we have toured Estonia. From time to time we have also visited various festivals in neighboring and nearby countries. The team includes builders, energetics, geniuses, other comedians as well as young people studying music at a higher level. Lecturers have also gone through the collective.

The orchestra is leaded by Teet Raik and Kristina Bianca Rantala.

TalTech Big Band

Big Band Tartu brings since 1998 together active people with a keen interest in music who, even though they are professionally engaged in a variety of fields from marine biology and landscape design to music-teaching and financial management, have a sincere desire to perform and present relaxing jazz music in Tartu and beyond.

Almost 25 years of making music, the orchestra has given a number of concerts and performed at many festivals in Estonia (the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, Student Jazz, Tabasalu Big Band Fest, Rainbow Jazz, Võsu Viis, Mürtsub Pill and more), Finland (Tampere 2015, Imatra Big Band Festival 2014 and 2022, Turun Taiteiden Yö 2010 and Lahden Jazzitori 2010), Latvia and Lithuania (Vilnius Band 2003 and Trakai Fanfare Week 2009). 2016 we participated in Netherlands, Hoofddorp in Corendon MeerJazz 20th International Big Band Competition and took from there the 3rd place in 1st class (candidates over 200 bands). Big Band Tartu performs at an average of 20-30 concerts, dance evenings and other events each year. For more information on the band and its recordings and history, see http://www.convivo.ee/.

This time we have included Estonian music in our 25th birthday concert program. First of all, a nice find is Kustas Kikerpuu's suite "The Summer Sounds of Imatra", inspired by the impressions at the Imatra Big Band Festival in the 80s, which has only been performed a few times in Estonia, but which is a very worthy piece of music. Secondly, the premiere of Tõnis Kõrvitsa's brand new work "Spinning and Wheeling - Kedrates", a song prepared especially for this anniversary, will take place. Thirdly, we will give a gift to the city of Tartu with the well-forgotten and now updated Paul Kroon song "I sing a song about my hometown Tartu". And in addition, some more memorable songs from our 25th year repertoire will be played.

Big Band Tartu in Imatra (Finland) summer 2022

Eller Big Band
Under the guidance of Tanel Aavakivi, there is an orchestra made up of students of the Tartu Music School named after Heino Eller. The main task of EBB is the learning process - we get to know different musical styles and repertoire. We mostly perform at school-related events - assessments, exams and annual tribute concerts. We have also participated in the wind instrument festival "Mürtsub pill" and the big band festival "Happy Big Band Weekend".
Eller Big Band

Tartu Sax Choir was born on the initiative of maestro Lembit Saarsalu and with the modest help of the Salvador Sax Quartet in January 2003, when on the occasion of Lembit Saarsalu's 55th birthday, all the halls of the Estonian Concert were toured. The choir is trying to deepen the passion for playing the saxophone, especially among young players, so that even after 120 years, playing the saxophone will appeal to young people as an enjoyable alternative. As a result of the work done, several nice neck-wearing saxophone ensembles have started in Tartu, and listeners and players have been infected with enthusiasm, both in their home country of Estonia and behind the track.

During the 20th season, songs in different styles and from different centuries have been played and not limited to lighter music. The concerts have been presented specifically with both renaissance program and folk music, choral music inspired by song festivals, jazz improvisation and rock are not left untouched.

They have performed together with many collectives, including choirs led by Lauri Breede and Big Band Tartu. The cooperation with the Tartu French Horn Choir and the Clarinet Choir of the Tartu 1st Music School, with whom the Choir ClarSaxHorn formed together, performs immortal works by Handel and Mozart, in the future also by J.S.Bach, Aadu Regi and many others. Recordings and history can be found at www.convivo.ee

NGO Laulu- ja pillimänguselts Con Vivo, Aiandi tee 3-29, Lohkva, 62207 Tartumaa, Estonia, e-mail convivo, phones +372 518 8010