VÄNG
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harmonica quartet
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Eero Grundström: graduated from Sibelius Academy in 2009. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and true improvisation wizard and has worked in all musical fields. Geero is one of the most well known Finnish experimental harmonium players - regularly on stage with symphony orchestras. Geeros compositions often pay reference to Finnish classical composers and are frightened by his band mates because of containing extraordinarily many notes, pushing the physical act of playing harmonica to its limits. Eero is also very busy in other projects, like Suistamon Sähkö, Juuri & Juuri and in duo with Maria Kalaniemi.
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Eero Turkka: got interested in the blues harp as a little boy. He was playing the blues in the streets of St. Petersburg for some years, but finally ended up studying in Sibelius Academy. His second main exam at Sibelius Academy was the birth of Sväng. His “Romanian Suite”, composed and arranged for harmonica quartet, was the first music performed by Sväng. Besides harmonica Eero plays several other ethnic instruments. Eero speaks fluently Bulgarian and Russian and has a strong passion for Balkan style music which can be heard in his compositions. Eero has graduated from Sibelius Academy in 2006.
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Jouko Kyhälä: graduated from Sibelius Academy folk music department in 1999 as the first ever with harmonica. He completed his post graduate studies and became the first European Doctor of Arts with harmonica in April 2007. Dr. Kyhälä has multiple musical capacities having worked with traditional music, jazz, pop, improvisation and contemporary dance as composer, musician and producer. He performs also as solo artist and with duo Jouko Kyhälä & Filip Jers. With Sväng he plays mostly harmonetta, a rare chord harmonica, which is not produced anymore. On tour Dr. Kyhälä spends many hours repairing and maintaining it! Music written by Dr. Kyhälä is often inspired by nature, Finnish history and comics.
Tapani Varis: Sibelius Academy graduated double bass player & master of folk wind instruments, especially the 'munniharppu' (Jew's harp) and pitkähuilu (overtone flute). To play in Sväng he has expanded his instrumentation to include the bass harmonica!!!
At the beginning of his career as a folk musician in the late 1980s, Tapani worked as a bass player with Värttinä, after that he was quickly caught up in the wave of new Finnish folk music and played with practically everyone who reinvented traditional music in the 1990s. Tapani is extremely versatile and works in the field of completely improvised music as well as in a strictly traditional context, composing for circus as well as jazz bands. Besides Sväng, Tapani plays in the folktronica duo Varis & Votkin, the traditional duo with violinist Arto Järvelä, the modern jazz quartet Uusi Aika and the Danish folk orchestra Harald Haugaard & Helene Blum Band.
Associated member:
Filip Jers: Although Filip fails to be Finnish he is Sväng´s “joker”, being able to jump-in for both the Eero´s. Filip has been called the "Swedish harmonica sensation" by music critics and has a breathtaking playing technique on both the chromatic and the blues harp and he also plays the bass harmonica. Stylistically, he switches with ease between jazz, blues, folk, classical and also pop - as evidenced by a long list of collaborations with musicians from a wide variety of styles.
Jers was the first harmonica player to graduate in jazz from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm in 2011, and the Filip Jers 4-tet was named "Best Band" at the EBU European Jazz Competition in Rotterdam in 2014.
Former members:
Pasi Leino: Señor Pasi Leino was founding member of Sväng and played the bass harmonica within the band until he decided to retire and spend more time in Spain. He passed the bass to Tapani in September 2022 but still can be seen in the orchestra concerts.
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Staff:
Hilppa – mental coach: playing harmonicas and being on the road needs mental support! Hilppa has been guiding Sväng right from the start and travelled with the band all over Europe, China, Japan & Mexico. She is very patient and doesn´t charge high fees for her services. At some point she started a career of her own and got her personal website in Japan.
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Anne – booking angel: Anne runs a booking & management agency in Vienna and is working with Sväng since 2005 when she immediately fell in love with harmonica music at Sväng´s appearance @ glatt & verkehrt Festival. Anne holds a master in cultural management, loves good wine and thinks every venue in the world should have Sväng!
Photo: Jimmy Träskelin