The Shared Story of Jazz and the Baltic Sea Continues
Lisätietoa
Sanna Vartiainen
Producer, communication specialist / Jazz City Turku ry
+358 40 554 4051
Flame Jazz / Turku Jazz Festival / Turku Jazz Orchestra / Turku Sea Jazz
The year 2026 marks the celebration of Jazz Finland 100. The shared story of jazz and the sea in Finland began symbolically in the summer of 1926, when the S/S Andania arrived carrying Finnish-American musicians and the first sounds of jazz. Jazz reached Finland by sea – across the very waters whose future we continue to protect today.
Archipelago Sea Jazz festival series and the John Nurminen Foundation are continuing their partnership this year with a shared goal: a thriving Baltic Sea and a sustainable cultural heritage. The sea plays a central role both in the history of jazz and in the summer festivals themselves. It connects archipelago communities, enables encounters and provides an inspiring setting whose preservation requires ongoing commitment.
The John Nurminen Foundation works tirelessly for the Baltic Sea by reducing eutrophication, protecting marine biodiversity and preserving maritime cultural heritage. These same values are reflected in the Archipelago Sea Jazz festivals. The festivals bring high-quality cultural experiences to the archipelago in a responsible way, strengthening local communities while respecting the marine environment.
Along Sea Routes to Finland – and from Finland to the World
On the opening day of Turku Sea Jazz, Wednesday 29 July at 7 pm, a free discussion event will take place at Cathedral Park Terrace. Hosted by the John Nurminen Foundation, the discussion explores the century-long journey shared by jazz and the sea.
Participants include Forum Marinum Director Ulla Teräs and jazz guitarist Olli Soikkeli. Together they will trace jazz’s international routes through port cities around the world while reflecting on how we travel, connect and build cultural networks more sustainably in the future.
For centuries, the sea has carried people, ideas and music. Today, the Baltic Sea also needs our help. When purchasing festival tickets through Tiketti’s online store, visitors can support the John Nurminen Foundation’s work for the Baltic Sea. Every donation helps protect the sea along whose shores the story of Finnish jazz first began.
Throughout the summer, Baltic Jazz, Korpo Sea Jazz, Turku Sea Jazz and Åland Sea Jazz invite audiences to enjoy music in the unique surroundings of the archipelago. At the same time, the festivals remind us that the wellbeing of culture and nature go hand in hand – just as jazz and the sea have done for the past hundred years.
