Participants 2026
... are here !!!
Sat 28th of March 2026 at 15 on bridge of Estonian National Museum in Tartu (Estonia) MUBA Big Band, conductors Karl Madis Pennar and Bianca Rantala Eller Big Band, conductor Tanel Aavakivi Boston Promenade Big Band (Finland), conductor Aapo Wikstén Sun 29th of March 2026 at 13 on bridge of Estonian National Museum in Tartu Pärnu Music School Big Band, conductor Emily Urla Tartu Sax Choir, leader Toomas Peterson Big Band Tartu guestconductor Bianca Rantala, vocal soloist Kreet Stubender Sun 29th of March 2026 at 15 in TallTech hall in Tallinn (Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn) TalTech Big Band, conductors Teet Raik and Markus Eermann, vocal soloist Kristjan Karmo Boston Promenade Big Band (Finland), conductor Aapo Wikstén |
 |
Bianca Rantala - a conductor, composer, arranger, singer, pianist and pedagogue with Finnish and Estonian roots, whose work and repertoire selection will be performed by Big Band Tartu. Bianca's work is appreciated for its depth, innovation and colorful orchestration, moving effortlessly between genres with both intelligence and playfulness. She was awarded the title of Composer of the Year 2025 at the Estonian Jazz Awards and has also won the Nordic Composition Contest (2023) and the Baltic Big Band Composition Contest (2020). From autumn 2026 she is expected to be the resident composer of the UMO Jazz Orchestra. | ||
Boston Promenade is a 27-piece party big band from Helsinki, Finland. Founded in the student union of Helsinki School of Business (today part of Aalto University) in 1964, Boston Promenade has been entertaining the crowds ever since. The band has evolved from a 60’s brass septet to a full-blown big band with 13 horns, 4 singers, a 7-piece rhythm section, a conductor, and two sound engineers. Over the decades, Boston Promenade has performed on all continents (except Antarctica) and toured Japan in the fall of 2025. Today, Boston Promenade is a renowned top-tier entertainer in the Finnish music scene, performing at high-profile corporate events, music festivals, and university celebrations. This monster of a band will literally blow you away with a dozen horns, four singers, groovy arrangements, and its glamorous stage presence. Boston is best known for combining big band classics with iconic party bangers that will make you shake it like there’s no tomorrow. |
 Boston Promenade Big Band, foto Santtu Salminen |
Big Band Tartu brings since 1998 together active people with a keen interest in music who, even though they are professionally engaged in a variety of fields from marine biology and landscape design to music-teaching and financial management, have a sincere desire to perform and present relaxing jazz music in Tartu and beyond. Almost 25 years of making music, the orchestra has given a number of concerts and performed at many festivals in Estonia (the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, Student Jazz, Tabasalu Big Band Fest, Rainbow Jazz, Võsu Viis, Mürtsub Pill and more), Finland (Tampere 2015, Imatra Big Band Festival 2014 and 2022, Turun Taiteiden Yö 2010 and Lahden Jazzitori 2010), Latvia and Lithuania (Vilnius Band 2003 and Trakai Fanfare Week 2009). 2016 we participated in Netherlands, Hoofddorp in Corendon MeerJazz 20th International Big Band Competition and took from there the 3rd place in 1st class (candidates over 200 bands). Big Band Tartu performs at an average of 20-30 concerts, dance evenings and other events each year. For more information on the band and its recordings and history, see http://www.convivo.ee/. In our 27th season, we have taken to investigate more deeply funk and salsa music, and for this we have invited to help us trumpeter, conductor, arranger and pedagogue Tapio Maunuvaara from the European Capital of Culture Oulu 2026. We will perform world music selected by him, some in his own arrangements. It is very exciting to hear real salsa music, ABBA in funky arrangements, and some Bob Mintzer pieces in between. | ||
 Big Band Tartu 03.05.2025 with guest conductor Tapio Maunuvaara (Finland) in Estonian National Museum |
MUBA Big Band The 20-piece MuBa big band with funk and fusion vibes will perform at the Happy Bigband Weekend in Tartu. Together, they will pay homage to the funk instrumental collective Lettuce, which came together in the USA in 1992. This time, the bright and brilliant Kristina Bianca Rantala, who is making waves in Europe, will exclusively take to the stage to conduct the young people. A selection from Lettuce's repertoire has been transcribed and arranged for big band by Karl Madis Pennar, a lecturer at the Tallinn Music and Ballet School. |
 MUBA Big Band |
TalTech Big Band started in April 2009, when the first rehearsal took place in the VI building of the University of Technology Tallinn. Basically, it was about students who had previously played together in different orchestras. After some experimentation with the line-up, the band became a classic big band that plays mood, classic ballroom and just dance music - styles disco, rock, swing, jazz, etc. The orchestra operates mainly in Tallinn, but over time we have toured Estonia. From time to time we have also visited various festivals in neighboring and nearby countries. The team includes builders, energetics, geniuses, other comedians as well as young people studying music at a higher level. Lecturers have also gone through the collective. The orchestra is leaded by Teet Raik and Markus Eermann. |
 TalTech Big Band |
Eller Big Band Under the guidance of Tanel Aavakivi, there is an orchestra made up of students of the Tartu Music School named after Heino Eller. The main task of EBB is the learning process - we get to know different musical styles and repertoire. We mostly perform at school-related events - assessments, exams and annual tribute concerts. We have also participated in the wind instrument festival "Mürtsub pill" and the big band festival "Happy Big Band Weekend". |
 Eller Big Band on festival Happy Big Band Weekend 2024 |
Pärnu Music School Big Band began its activities in February 2024 under the leadership of conductor Emily Nora Elizabeth Urla, when saxophone students were combined with young people from the music school's brass and rhythm music department. The modest goal of the beginning has developed into a diverse and energetic group that has performed at school concerts, balls and various festive events across Pärnu County. The big band's repertoire includes jazz standards, pop music arrangements and a variety of dance music. While our programs have often focused on dance music, today's program highlights the group's favorite works in concert form - longer, more meaningful and musically demanding arrangements that give young musicians the opportunity to test themselves in a variety of ways. |
 Pärnu Music School Big Band |
Tartu Sax Choir was born on the initiative of maestro Lembit Saarsalu and with the modest help of the Salvador Sax Quartet in January 2003, when on the occasion of Lembit Saarsalu's 55th birthday, all the halls of the Estonian Concert were toured. The choir is trying to deepen the passion for playing the saxophone, especially among young players, so that even after 120 years, playing the saxophone will appeal to young people as an enjoyable alternative. As a result of the work done, several nice neck-wearing saxophone ensembles have started in Tartu, and listeners and players have been infected with enthusiasm, both in their home country of Estonia and behind the track. During the 20th season, songs in different styles and from different centuries have been played and not limited to lighter music. The concerts have been presented specifically with both renaissance program and folk music, choral music inspired by song festivals, jazz improvisation and rock are not left untouched. They have performed together with many collectives, including choirs led by Lauri Breede and Big Band Tartu. The cooperation with the Tartu French Horn Choir and the Clarinet Choir of the Tartu 1st Music School, with whom the Choir ClarSaxHorn formed together, performs immortal works by Handel and Mozart, in the future also by J.S.Bach, Aadu Regi and many others. Recordings and history can be found at www.convivo.ee |
NGO Laulu- ja pillimänguselts Con Vivo, Aiandi tee 3-29, Lohkva, 62207 Tartumaa, Estonia, e-mail convivo, phones +372 518 8010