Johanna Juhola, accordionist

Johanna Juhola has been studying the accordion at the Sibelius Academy’s Department of Folk Music since 1997. In 2000, she won the International Astor Piazzolla competition with the Novjaro Quintet, and in 2002 Johanna Juhola and the pianist Milla Viljamaa were awarded the International Citta di Castelfidaro prize. Johanna rose to more extensive public awareness in the spring of 2007 when she performed her commissioned composition Fantasiatango as one of the opening numbers of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Johanna Juhola’s debut album Miette was released in spring 2006 (Texicalli Records), and it features Johanna’s fascination with fusing and mixing other musical genres that exude passion with tango nuevo. The Miette album was recorded with the assistance of a diverse and talented group of musicians. Johanna performs her music together with the Johanna Juhola & Reaktori ensemble, which was established in 2006.

Johanna Juhola has composed music for numerous dance, theatre and circus performances, including for the Swedish Theatre, the Zodiak Center for New Dance, Circo Aereo, the Central Uusimaa Theatre, Q Theatre, the Med Andra Ord contemporary circus group, Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth, the Tsuumi Dance Company, as well as for several project-specific groups. Johanna has collaborated on projects for electronics and the accordion with the virtuoso of electronic music Tuomas Norvio, for example in the fields of modern dance, fashion shows and music for TV drama. Johanna’s other collaboration partners in electronic music have been Dj LBJ, Dj Slow and Dj Yuhis.

Within the sphere of orchestral music, Johanna has appeared in 2002–2007 as a guest performer with various ensembles in performances of Timo Alakotila’s composition Concerto for Free Bass Accordion and Chamber Orchestra, and as one of the soloists in the Tapiola Sinfonietta’s Symphonic Fantasies project.

JIn addition to her own ensembles, Reaktori and the duo Viljamaa-Juhola, Johanna Juhola performs in the groups Las Chicas del Tango, Spontaani Vire, Troka and Novjaro. Her latest ensembles are the duos with pianist Timo Alakotila and Kraft with the violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Duo Kraft released its first CD "Max Höjd" on January 2009 by Texicalli Records.

CD RECORDINGS for labels:

2009 "Max Höjd" Duo Kraft
2008 "High Caffeine content" Spontaani Vire
2007 “Vapaassa tilassa”, Duo Timo Alakotila - Johanna Juhola (Texicalli Records)
2007 “La Voz Femenina”, Las Chicas del Tango (Texicalli Records)
2007 “Mi Retorno”, Johanna Juhola & Milla Viljamaa (Texicalli Records)
2006 “Miette”, Johanna Juhola & Reaktori (Texicalli Records)
2006 ”Just the glow”, Keystone Cops (Bluelight Records 2006
2006 “Raharinki”, Troka, (Troka)
2003 “Piazzolla Passage”, Duo Johanna Juhola - Milla Viljamaa (Finlandia Records)

JOHANNA JUHOLA TRIO - Listen Trio

TV-performance in Finland (5/2009): Listen live video
Johanna Juhola, accordions
Roope Aarnio, guitar
Hannu Oskala, sound designer & electronics


JOHANNA JUHOLA & REAKTORI - Listen CD Miette

Mo I Rana, Norway (10/2009): Listen live video from concert
Johanna Juhola, accordions
Milla Viljamaa, harmonium & piano
Sara Puljula, double bass
Tuomas Norvio, live electronics
+ Pekka Kuusisto, violin, as a special guest

“Disjointedness meets beauty; a storm calm; childhood ageing; happiness self-importance. Unforgettable moments. Impossibly beautiful.” Tero Salonen, Anna magazine, 15 June 2006

“Spontaneous energy. The music tells a story, melodies bubble over, and the compositions are carefully constructed. Johanna Juhola’s solo debut is fresh and fun.” Tove Djupsjöbacka, Huvudstadsbladet newspaper, 24 May 2006.

DUO MILLA VILJAMAA & JOHANNA JUHOLA - Listen CD Mi Retorno

Released, 15 Jan 2008: CD Mi Retorno (Texicalli Records) in one of the nominees for Etno Emma 2007

Johanna Juhola, accordion
Milla Viljamaa, piano

Homepage: Duo Viljamaa & Juhola

“The Finnish tango will never be the same again: the young generation of folk musicians, pianist Milla Viljamaa and accordionist Johanna Juhola, will make sure of that. The artists’ composition styles differ greatly from each other. Viljamaa’s direct approach balances Juhola’s mysteriousness and creative fury, or then the other way round.” Kaisa Pastila, Eeva magazine 7/2007.

“Milla Viljamaa and Johanna Juhola have demonstrated their mastery of Astor Piazzolla. On the tango duo’s second album, the piano and accordion are engaged in an unfettered dialogue. The tango resonates thrillingly, frenetically and passionately in a sophisticated style. This is one to take with you on summer nights.” Tuija Halmekoski, Anna magazine, 14 June 2007.

LAS CHICAS DEL TANGO - Listen CD La Voz Femenina

Johanna Juhola, accordion
Milla Viljamaa, piano
Kukka-Maaria Ahonen, vocal

Texicalli Records released the debut album of the Chicas del Tango trio, La Voz Femenina, at the Seinäjoki Tango Festival in July 2007. Kukka-Maaria Ahonen, the 2002 tango princess, is the enchantress performing solo vocals. The group’s first album mainly contains the works of old Argentinean masters, but the members of the trio also display their own skills as tango composers and lyricists. This album proves that the Argentinean and Finnish tango are not so far removed from each other after all.

DUO TIMO ALAKOTILA & JOHANNA JUHOLA - Listen CD Vapaassa tilassa

Johanna Juhola, accordion
Timo Alakotila, piano

Texicalli Records released Timo Alakotila’s and Johanna Juhola’s first joint album Vapaassa Tilassa (In a free space) on 19 September 2007. The album includes the duo’s compositions that lean towards folk music. The ethos behind the Vapaassa Tilassa album was to use an improvisation style familiar to jazz music in traditional folk music. The album also involves a bevy of distinguished guest musicians: Aili Ikonen (vocals), Pekka Kuusisto (violin), Jouni Järvelä (soprano saxophone) Petri Hakala (mandolin) and Roger Tallroth (guitar). Thanks to the various backgrounds of the guest musicians, the folk-improvisation takes-off in many directions.

Timo Alakotila is one of Finland’s most important innovators and pioneers of folk music. He has been involved in around one hundred recordings as a musician, composer or producer; this year he already has more than ten to his credit. Alakotila is a much sought after partner as a composer, musician and also as a teacher.

Photo by Sami Perttilä: Johanna Juhola Trio