Kimmo Pohjonen

Kimmo Pohjonen PIC CREDIT Marja Seppälä

TELSTRACLEAR FESTIVAL CLUB

MUSIC: FINLAND

“A boundlessly ambitious improviser.” The Guardian (UK)

Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen is set to expand the scope and sound of the accordion as never before at the TelstraClear Festival Club.

Arguably Finland’s most internationally celebrated contemporary musician, Pohjonen is a fearless improviser. He takes the instrument – both electronic and acoustic – in new and astounding directions, from folksy melodies to tangos, jazz and far beyond.

Incorporating sounds drawn from the natural world – including one memorable project involving samples of farmyard machinery – voice, dramatic lighting effects and more, his boldly creative performances draw on more than 30 years’ experience and experimentation.

A regular at international festivals, Pohjonen has taken his innovations to the world, with performances at The Proms, commissions for the Kronos Quartet and for film, and collaborations with dance companies, multi-media artists and more. His early studies at the progressive Sibelius Academy were critical to the development of his imaginative approach.

But it’s on stage where he truly comes into his own, his accordion creating a spellbinding performance that is utterly original.

Kimmo Pohjonen is at the TelstraClear Festival Club on 3 & 4 March for the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington, 24 February – 18 March. Tickets $58 – $65 available from Ticketek.

ENDS

New Gold Partners for the 2012 Festival, the Club is sponsored by TelstraClear – the home of broadband.

Sponsored by Springload

With support from Pub Charity

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