Arppa & Joensuun kaupunginorkesteri

The free-spirited compass of Finnish alternative music, Arppa, brings his narrative-driven songs to life with the Joensuu City Orchestra at Ilosaarirock this July!

In Aaro Airola’s world, music is navigated by self-drawn maps and instinctive coordinates. A self-taught musician who has returned to fully independent releases with his latest album, Arppa is unmistakably his own creature: a genre-defying visionary whose work carries waypoints from the universes of jazz, rock, schlager, folk, pop and funk. The unpredictability and layered nature of Arppa’s songs make even Archimedes feel relatable to the most casual listener – after all, the tenth listen still inspires a satisfied little eureka.

At Ilosaarirock, the band – Arppa with Ville-Veikko Airaniemi, Eero Seppä and Okko Saastamoinen – is joined by the 35-piece Joensuun kaupunginorkesteri (Joensuu City Orchestra), led by conductor and orchestrator Mikko Pellinen. If Arppa’s live shows have already been dazzling, this July’s special performance is bound to be something completely out of this world.