The Finnish Jazz Federations Jazz Day campaign, led this year by artists Emilia Sisco and Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen.

Translation: “Jazz holds immense diversity and uniqueness. It is exploration. It is dialogue. It is freedom and emotion,” Sisco describes the essence of jazz.

Celebrated annually on April 30, UNESCO’s International Jazz Day honors jazz music and its role as a messenger of intercultural dialogue and peace. In Finland, the celebrations kick off already on April 20 with the Jazz Day campaign, which highlights domestic jazz events and festivities for over a week.

Beyond jazz’s artistic merit, the broader message of the day – intercultural cooperation, peace, and respect for human dignity and rights – is especially timely against the backdrop of current wars. The figurehead of International Jazz Day, legendary pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, has aptly described the essence of jazz as follows: “Jazz has hope and solidarity, which we all need right now.”

In 2026, the faces of the Finnish Jazz Federation’s Jazz Day campaign are vocalist Emilia Sisco and saxophonist and flutist Juhani “Junnu” Aaltonen.

Read more:

(in English)

https://jazzfinland.fi/news/unesco-international-jazz-day-celebrates-jazz-as-a-messenger-of-peace-and-intercultural-dialogue-on-april-30-26

(in Finnish)

https://jazzliitto.fi/2026/04/unescon-kansainvalinen-jazzpaiva-juhlii-jazzmusiikkia-rauhan-ja-kulttuurienvalisen-vuoropuhelun-sanansaattajana-30-4-3/