HELSINKI-COTONOU ENSEMBLE (ALL-AGES WORKSHOP)
HELSINKI-COTONOU ENSEMBLE (ALL-AGES WORKSHOP)
Don't miss this rare opportunity to be part of a workshop and drum circle led by the Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble!! Watch out for this workshop on festival grounds or ask a Neruda Arts' volunteer to show you the way.
The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble combines the traditional voodoo rhythms of Benin, West Africa with soulful songwriting, jazzy improvisations and funky Afro-beats. HCE formed when three musicians from Helsinki, Finland hooked up with virtuoso singer and percussionist Noel Saizonou on a trip to Benin. Four years later the Ensemble has released two critically acclaimed albums and completed several international tours. In 2015 they collaborated with the 18-piece UMO Jazz Orchestra, and toured and performed in Benin and at the famous Sziget Festival in Budapest.