JOHANNA

There's no one quite like Johanna Juhola; nimble-fingered accordion virtuoso and multi-faceted composer, she blazes her own colourful trail, breezing blithely across style borders and genre barriers with a captivating mix of musical excellence and engaging charm. Her compositions blend the parallel worlds of Argentinian and Finnish tango, following the latter's path into the melancholic soul of Finnish folk, emerging into the sunlight with uplifting flirtations with pop music and innovative excursions into electronica. Her multi-textured sound-stories are inspired by such imaginative themes as a limping tango dancer, a love affair between a driver and his seductive sat-nav, the singing of whales or simply feeling like a hippo on the dance-floor.

The newest concert ensemble presented by Johanna is called Imaginary Friends. In this vividly visualized show, Johanna is the only live performer, with her team of accompanists and fellow performers projected alongside her on two large video screens. Joining Johanna virtually are the man that inspired her to begin
playing the squeeze box years ago, a star-studded YouTube cavalcade of fellow musicians, an amorous navigator, a chorus of clapping hands, an entire orchestra of cloned Johannas and many more imaginary ensembles.

The other bands playing Johanna's music are Johanna Juhola Reaktori and Johanna Juhola Trio. Johanna Juhola Reaktori consists of Tuomas Norvio on live electronics, double bass queen Sara Puljula and harmonium innovator Milla Viljamaa. Reaktori offers a mix of ingredients from these four exuberant musicians. The mood shifts from intimate folk tones to offbeat electronica or from a celebration of naivism Johanna Juhola biography to virtuosic excitement. The music is dancable in many different ways; you can choose argentinian tango or just jumping! Johanna Juhola Trio features virtuoso guitarist Roope Aarnio and sound designer Teemu Korpipää who manipulates the sound of Roope and Johanna's instruments in real-time and adds some samples.

Johanna is well-known on the Finnish music scene through her influential involvement with bands such as Tango-orkesteri Unto, Las Chicas del Tango, Troka and Spontaani Vire, duo collaborations with Timo Alakotila, Pekka Kuusisto and Milla Viljamaa, music for theatre, circus, film and television as well as at the helm of her
own projects, she maintains an impressively busy work schedule; an indefatigable explorer of her instrument's potential. Examples of collaborations from last years have been a duo with the angel-voiced singer Emma Salokoski, Turku Jazz Orchestra playing Johannas compositions arranged for a big band and Johanna being a soloist of Oulu Symphony Orchestra playing Johannas compositions in live broadcasted Finlands 100 years concert.

Tens of millions of TV viewers saw Johanna Juhola play the song "Fantasiatango" as an opener for the Eurovision song contest in 2007 in Helsinki. This composition gave it’s name for Johanna's second solo album released in February 2010, describing the style of the music very well. Her other albums are Miette (2006),
Tango Roto Live (2010), Fantasiatango 2 (2012) and Diivan jäljet - Shadow of a Diva (2018).
Johanna has also recorded Timo Alakotila´s 'Concerto for Free-Bass Accordion and Chamber Orchestra' as well as with other bands including Duo Milla Viljamaa &

Johanna Juhola and Tango Orchestra Unto. Johanna Juhola’s work to date has revolutionised our common perception of the accordion as a musical
instrument. Her peers have named her an accordion superhero, a pearl of world music and a daring reinventor of tango music as we know it. Her highly original output and collaborative work with top names from the classical, jazz and electronic music scene has sealed her reputation as a groundbreaking and genretranscending
visionary.