touring

The ensemble calling itself Tuubakimalainen [Tuba Bumblebee] originated in a simple question voiced over coffee in the basement of the Music Centre in Lahti in 2012: Why don’t all citizens have equal access to cultural services? This led to the idea of a touring orchestra performing music for everyone. The emergent ensemble embarked on a mission to travel around Finland, with special emphasis on the far north.

"Boundaries between nationalities are becoming more relaxed, and people increasingly feel themselves belonging to transnational groups. And as people move around, so does their music. Changes in society also affect music," writes Anna Dantchev in her column.

Curbing the climate crisis will require urgent action everywhere, including the music business. But how difficult is it to translate words into deeds for someone whose entire career is based on touring, which carries a massive carbon footprint?

”Could we talk in 10 minutes, I’m just returning some backline drums from our tour?” says Charles Gil, picking up the phone on a dimly-lit November afternoon. It’s business as usual for the French producer who has lived and worked in Finland since 1995, introducing Finnish audiences in places near and far to high quality improvised music from France, Finland and beyond time and again.