Johanna Juhola, accordionist

Johanna Juhola (born 1978) graduated as a Master of Music on the accordion from the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy in 2008. Her other instruments are claviola, accordina and toy grand piano. Johanna loves tango nuevo and other passionate music genres, especially their fusions, as well as combining music with other kinds of performing arts.

Johanna Juhola has composed music for several dance, theatre and circus performances for a number of different theatres including the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki, the Zodiak - Center for New Dance, the Theatre of Keski-Uusimaa, Q Theatre, the Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth, as well as for the circus groups Circo Aereo and Med Andra Ord and for many project-based groups. Johanna has also composed film and TV music, including ‘Fantasiatango’ for the opening of Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki in 2007. The latest composition commission she received was for music with the Kraft duo for the documentary film by Virpi Suutaris entitled Auf Wiedersehen Finnland.

Johanna Juhola has been an influential member of ensembles such as Duo Milla Viljamaa & Johanna Juhola, Kraft (J. Juhola and Pekka Kuusisto), the Johanna Juhola Trio, Timo Alakotila & Johanna Juhola Duo, Troka, Las Chicas del Tango, the Tango Orchestra Unto and Spontaani Vire. The ensembles Johanna Juhola Trio and Johanna Juhola Reaktori have specialised in Johanna’s own music, and both ensembles concentrate on tango nuevo and live electronics.

Johanna Juholahas made guest recordings and performances with artists and ensembles including Rinneradio, PMMP, the Don Johnson Big Band, The Winyls, Tapiola Sinfonietta, How Many Sisters, Pori Sinfonietta, Orkestar Bordurka and Lauri Tähkä.Johanna has performed not only in Scandinavia and widely throughout Europe but also in Japan, China, Argentina, the United States and Canada.

Johanna Juhola is no stranger to the world of art music and has played the solo part in Timo Alakotila's Concerto for Free Bass Accordion and Chamber Orchestra. In addition, she has performed the chamber music of Astor Piazzolla with different ensembles.
In 2000, Johanna 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 Juhola’s second solo album Fantasiatango was released in spring 2010 (Texicalli Records). Other releases featuring Johanna Juhola include her first solo album Miette, released in 2006, and her duo CDs with Milla Viljamaa Piazzolla Passage (2003) and Mi Retorno (2007). Other recordings include the Keystone Cops album Just the glow (2006), the third Troka album Raharinki (2006), the album with Las Chicas del Tango La Voz Femenina (2007), the Timo Alakotila & Johanna Juhola album Vapaassa Tilassa (2007), the third Spontaani Vire album Korkea kofeiinipitoisuus (2008), the Kraft album Max höjd (2009), and Timo Alakotila’s Concerto for Free Bass Accordion and Chamber Orchestra with Vox Artis (2009).

CD RECORDINGS for labels:

2010 "The Finnish Tango, Volume II, Cold love" Tango Orchestra Unto (ARC Music.co.uk)
2010 "Fantasiatango", second solo-CD (Texicalli Records)
2009 Concerto for Free Bass Accordion and Chamber Orchestra
2009 "Max Höjd" Duo Kraft (Texicalli Records)
2008 "High Caffeine content" Spontaani Vire (Texicalli Records)
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 Fantasiatango

Johanna Juhola, accordions
Roope Aarnio, guitar
Hannu Oskala, sound designer & electronics

JOHANNA JUHOLA & REAKTORI - Listen Fantasiatango

Johanna Juhola, accordions, accordina
Milla Viljamaa, harmonium & piano
Sara Puljula, double bass
Tuomas Norvio, live electronics
+ Pekka Kuusisto, violin, as a special guest

DUO MILLA VILJAMAA & JOHANNA JUHOLA - Listen CD Mi Retorno

Johanna Juhola and Milla Viljamaa play tango nuevo with the attitude of an urban folk musician. Their co-operation began in 2001 at the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, where they both study at. The repertoire of the Duo consists mainly of the compositions of Juhola, Viljamaa and the Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazzolla. In their original style of arranging and playing are combined the influences of the tango nuevo, jazz and the folk music styles of different countries with improvisation and variation. Their debut album Piazzolla Passage (Warner Music Finlandia Records 2002) has been warmly welcomed by the media and listeners.

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

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.

SPONTAANI VIRE

Spontaani Vire plays original contemporary folk music and traditional Finnish folk music. The distinctive music has influences from Balkan music, world music and jazz, and the band is well-known for their incredible groove. The virtuoso musicians and their spontaneous approach to music has fascinated audiences wherever they´ve played.

Photo by Sami Perttilä: Johanna Juhola Trio