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#WomenToTheFore 15: Annamaija Saarela
We talk to Annamaija Saarela, Curator & CEO for G Livelab Tampere, about her career as a producer, programmer and CEO.
Can you tell us about your initial path into the jazz and creative music world? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest in this career?
I grew up in a cultural family in Orivesi, near Tampere in Finland. As a kid I played piano, sang in choirs, and I went to lots of concerts and theatre. So culture has been a part of my life from the very beginning.
I graduated from Tampere University as a master of arts of literature. But while I was studying, I started volunteering for music festivals in the city. There were three music festivals under one umbrella organisation: Tampere Jazz Happening, a vocal festival and one of contemporary classical music.
Volunteering led to me getting a role as a substitute producer, covering someone’s leave for a year. It was my first professional role for a jazz festival and I fell totally in love with jazz. This was 1994 and I immediately understood that jazz and creative music was my thing!
Tampere Jazz Happening is known for experimental programming. The concept of being immersed in exciting and creative music for an entire weekend, sharing these fantastic experiences with many other people, and the sense of community this creates - this was what truly sparked my interest.
Throughout your career, you've worked in various roles in the sector. What led you to your current role as CEO and Curator of G Livelab Tampere?
I stayed at Tampere Music Festivals for eight years in the end, as producer, press officer and then in 1999 I became Executive Director of the three festivals.
After that, in 2002, I went to work for UMO jazz orchestra in Helsinki. I was also responsible for its club venue and festival. And then in 2009 I began working for Musician's Union on an EU-funded project, while also directing Raahe Jazz on the Beach, a smaller-scale open-air festival in Finland. During this time, I also started my own company running several music export projects.
Since 2016, I've been working for G Livelab, a music venue in Tampere that’s owned by the Musicians Union. The venue launched in 2019 but I spent three years before that working on its development - lots of fundraising and managing the refurbishment. It’s located in a historic building owned by the city of Tampere and needed a lot of work before we could open it.
But my link with G Livelab Tampere goes back much further than 2016 - it’s a long story that takes place over many years. Back in 2000, while still at Tampere Music Festivals, I got a call from a journalist asking my opinion about a space in the old reading library in the city centre. It was basically an old boiler room, in a beautiful historic red brick building. It wasn’t used by the library any more. And I said I would love to see it as a music venue.
Fast forward to 2012, and I read an article saying that the building was soon to be empty. I contacted the city office asking their plans, and it was another four years before they invited bids for ideas. Musicians Union had just opened the G Livelab in Helsinki, so I asked them whether they would be willing to have another G Livelab based in Tampere and that's how it started. We put in a bid, alongside 20 other ideas, and the rest is history. And then I was very lucky to get the role of CEO when it came up. Everything came full circle.
How would you define your curatorial approach at G Livelab Tampere? And how does the club ownership (by the Musicians Union) impact your approach?
G Livelab Tampere is for all kinds of music, not only jazz. That's because Tampere is not a large city, we just don't have a big enough audience for a large jazz venue. And importantly the Musician's Union is for all kinds of musicians, this means that of course the venue must be for all kinds of music too.
So to make a great, interesting programme, no one works alone. You need to know a lot about what's going on on the field, and that's why we have a programming team. Our Head of Programme, Jaani Haapasalo, concentrates on all the other genres but jazz and folk are my expertise. We also work together with G Livelab Helsinki because it's essential for small venues to collaborate and book international bands together.
The ownership by the Musicians Union doesn’t really impact the programming. The union is really strong in Finland, with over 4000 members. But you don't have to be a union member to play at G Livelab, and if you are a union member, it doesn't guarantee your slot. I don’t know of other venues owned by musicians unions in other countries - I think there might be one example in Germany?
Can you tell us about your initial path into the jazz and creative music world? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest in this career?
I grew up in a cultural family in Orivesi, near Tampere in Finland. As a kid I played piano, sang in choirs, and I went to lots of concerts and theatre. So culture has been a part of my life from the very beginning.
I graduated from Tampere University as a master of arts of literature. But while I was studying, I started volunteering for music festivals in the city. There were three music festivals under one umbrella organisation: Tampere Jazz Happening, a vocal festival and one of contemporary classical music.
Volunteering led to me getting a role as a substitute producer, covering someone’s leave for a year. It was my first professional role for a jazz festival and I fell totally in love with jazz. This was 1994 and I immediately understood that jazz and creative music was my thing!
Tampere Jazz Happening is known for experimental programming. The concept of being immersed in exciting and creative music for an entire weekend, sharing these fantastic experiences with many other people, and the sense of community this creates - this was what truly sparked my interest.
Throughout your career, you've worked in various roles in the sector. What led you to your current role as CEO and Curator of G Livelab Tampere?
I stayed at Tampere Music Festivals for eight years in the end, as producer, press officer and then in 1999 I became Executive Director of the three festivals.
After that, in 2002, I went to work for UMO jazz orchestra in Helsinki. I was also responsible for its club venue and festival. And then in 2009 I began working for Musician's Union on an EU-funded project, while also directing Raahe Jazz on the Beach, a smaller-scale open-air festival in Finland. During this time, I also started my own company running several music export projects.
Since 2016, I've been working for G Livelab, a music venue in Tampere that’s owned by the Musicians Union. The venue launched in 2019 but I spent three years before that working on its development - lots of fundraising and managing the refurbishment. It’s located in a historic building owned by the city of Tampere and needed a lot of work before we could open it.
But my link with G Livelab Tampere goes back much further than 2016 - it’s a long story that takes place over many years. Back in 2000, while still at Tampere Music Festivals, I got a call from a journalist asking my opinion about a space in the old reading library in the city centre. It was basically an old boiler room, in a beautiful historic red brick building. It wasn’t used by the library any more. And I said I would love to see it as a music venue.
Fast forward to 2012, and I read an article saying that the building was soon to be empty. I contacted the city office asking their plans, and it was another four years before they invited bids for ideas. Musicians Union had just opened the G Livelab in Helsinki, so I asked them whether they would be willing to have another G Livelab based in Tampere and that's how it started. We put in a bid, alongside 20 other ideas, and the rest is history. And then I was very lucky to get the role of CEO when it came up. Everything came full circle.
How would you define your curatorial approach at G Livelab Tampere? And how does the club ownership (by the Musicians Union) impact your approach?
G Livelab Tampere is for all kinds of music, not only jazz. That's because Tampere is not a large city, we just don't have a big enough audience for a large jazz venue. And importantly the Musician's Union is for all kinds of musicians, this means that of course the venue must be for all kinds of music too.
So to make a great, interesting programme, no one works alone. You need to know a lot about what's going on on the field, and that's why we have a programming team. Our Head of Programme, Jaani Haapasalo, concentrates on all the other genres but jazz and folk are my expertise. We also work together with G Livelab Helsinki because it's essential for small venues to collaborate and book international bands together.
The ownership by the Musicians Union doesn’t really impact the programming. The union is really strong in Finland, with over 4000 members. But you don't have to be a union member to play at G Livelab, and if you are a union member, it doesn't guarantee your slot. I don’t know of other venues owned by musicians unions in other countries - I think there might be one example in Germany?
What does a typical day or week look like? What are the key responsibilities and challenges you face?
There’s no such a thing as a normal week! During the summer holidays we have fewer concerts - maybe two per week - but the rest of the year we have four to five concerts per week. In summers we also run a bar / restaurant next to the city’s open air stage.
Normally we programme two international bands per month, and the rest of the programme is Finnish bands. The international bands take a little more work, because we have to take care of their entertainment and accommodation and things like that.
We also host lots of private events, meetings and weddings, things like that. So there’s something going on almost every day. We’re a small team and with so much happening, as CEO I need to know everything. Of course we have a professional team with their own expertise and roles, but still I might be the one answering the phone and solving a problem.
I think the best thing here is that there is no normal day. That’s something that I really enjoy. On the other hand, it's like a never-ending festival. At least with a festival there is a chance to stop at some point, and there’s a little less stress for a while.
What are the specific challenges and opportunities of leading a new venue in the city?
Tampere is known as a city of events. We have more venues than any other city in Finland. And the largest number of concerts per capita in Finland. Plus, we have a huge university with 40,000 students in town, which makes the atmosphere young and dynamic. It's a growing city with lots of building projects and development going on. All this makes my job a little bit easier.
Lots of people come to visit from other cities for a weekend; they book a hotel and come to several events. So our audience is wider than the city’s population. But on the other hand, there's a lot of competition with other venues, with venues popping up everywhere all the time.
Many restaurants in the city think that we just book a band and that’s it, and they try to become a live music venue, but it doesn't roll like that. It’s very hard to make it work.
In our case the venue is very special. We have a fantastic quality sound system by Genelec loudspeaker company , and the venue looks good from the inside. We concentrate on offering a high quality experience, not just for audiences but for the musicians too. Our logic is that a great experience for the artist means a great performance which makes the audience feel good too.
Collaboration and networking are crucial in the creative music sector. How do you foster long-term relationships with artists, partners, festivals, and other industry professionals to create opportunities for your venue and audiences?
I've been working internationally for a long time and networking is absolutely essential. When you are running a music venture, you always need partners, you need your colleagues. It’s a live and ongoing learning process and the best way to learn about new music, about how to develop your project, is to listen to your peers.
Conversations with colleagues often spark good ideas and that's what I really like about EJN because it's the best way to find similar-minded people. I’ve been involved with EJN since 2000. I’ve also served on the board and as President. And of course there are networks other than EJN too!
The pandemic revealed a harsh truth experienced by many countries: the cultural sector was deemed non-essential, we were not important. Authorities closed venues without considering the impact on professionals in the field. Many lost their jobs, and financial support was slow to come. In Finland, we realised that politicians are failing to recognise the cultural sector as a legitimate professional field, partly because of the thin line between amateurs and professionals. This meant governments didn’t realise this is a proper job and livelihood for many.
This realisation led to the creation of several new networks in Finland, including one for the events industry. Together we are stronger. Speaking out together, whether through networks or unions, makes our voice much stronger.
Looking back on your career, were there particular mentors or role models who inspired or influenced you?
I’ve been inspired by many people starting with Aila Sauramo, who was a previous director of Jazz Happening and first hired me in 1994. She was my first role model because she was the only festival director that I knew, but also at that point female festival directors were almost non-existent.
I remember going to an event in France in 1999 and I was the only woman around the table as well as being 20 years younger than the others. During the event, someone came over to me to ask “Where is the director from Tampere? Why didn’t he come?” "Well", I said, "I'm the director..." But in 30 years, it has changed a lot and the situation is very different nowadays.
So I didn't have that many female role models because they just didn’t exist. When I got to know EJN and other member organisations, I met international festival programmers and directors. People like Nod Knowles. He and many other European figures have been important. Also, venue directors like Huub Van Riel who was Artistic Director at BIMHUIS in Amsterdam.
These people have been working for venues and festivals for a long time and have such strong experience in the field. They are my role models.
Women are often under-represented in the jazz and creative music sector. Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in this field? What would you like to see change?
This is a complex question because it depends on personal experience. From my perspective, I’ve had a fantastic career in the jazz field and it has not been more complicated because I'm a woman. However, I don’t have a formal jazz education. The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki is the specialist jazz university in Finland, and there are some people who question my professional status because I didn't study there. But that’s not about my gender.
In my role at Tampere Festivals during the 1990s and early 2000s, I wanted to book female artists but it wasn’t easy. At that time, the larger agencies were male-dominated in their programmes and artist representation which didn’t help.
Nowadays it's much easier. There are many fantastic female musicians around and the entire scene is more conscious of gender balance. I believe EJN has played a significant role in this shift over the last decade.
Of course, like most women, I faced some stupid harassment when I was young, but nothing too bad. Overall I've seen the jazz field change from very unbalanced gender-wise to a much better situation in the last five or so years.
As a Nordic person, I’m privileged to live in a society where it is easier to have both a career and a family.
What advice would you give to young people wanting to pursue a career in music venue or festival leadership?
My advice is to start by volunteering and never say no to a job. I'm not sure about other countries, but in Finland lots of festivals are dependent on volunteers to operate and it's a good way to get into the field because of course you have to start somewhere.
You can't start from the top, so create your own path and be capable of doing multiple roles. Organisations and teams are often small and you have to be ready to turn your hand to many things. It's also about understanding the whole operation from funding to the technical side. Avoid a narrow focus - don’t be like a horse with blinkers. You have to understand how it all works.
Above all, be curious. You have to be curious about the music and the field you are working in.
Can you highlight any up-and-coming female and non-binary artists that our members should look out for?
I recommend Finnish saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, who is fantastic, a really amazing musician. They’re a singer and composer. Also Selma Savolainen, a Finnish singer and composer, who performed at 12 Points Festival which we hosted at G Livelab Tampere in September 2024. Selma was the Finnish representative at 12 Points and there were also several other interesting young female artists on the programme.
What are your hopes for the creative music sector over the next decade? What would you love to see happen?
I want to see a stronger, versatile and better funded cultural sector. I also hope that music can be a force for peace - one that builds bridges not walls. This philosophy is important to me when I'm programming - that I can create a programme that is equal and gives opportunities for all kinds of artists, no matter what their background.
Image credits:
1. Ville Vainio
2. Saana Tuomi
There’s no such a thing as a normal week! During the summer holidays we have fewer concerts - maybe two per week - but the rest of the year we have four to five concerts per week. In summers we also run a bar / restaurant next to the city’s open air stage.
Normally we programme two international bands per month, and the rest of the programme is Finnish bands. The international bands take a little more work, because we have to take care of their entertainment and accommodation and things like that.
We also host lots of private events, meetings and weddings, things like that. So there’s something going on almost every day. We’re a small team and with so much happening, as CEO I need to know everything. Of course we have a professional team with their own expertise and roles, but still I might be the one answering the phone and solving a problem.
I think the best thing here is that there is no normal day. That’s something that I really enjoy. On the other hand, it's like a never-ending festival. At least with a festival there is a chance to stop at some point, and there’s a little less stress for a while.
What are the specific challenges and opportunities of leading a new venue in the city?
Tampere is known as a city of events. We have more venues than any other city in Finland. And the largest number of concerts per capita in Finland. Plus, we have a huge university with 40,000 students in town, which makes the atmosphere young and dynamic. It's a growing city with lots of building projects and development going on. All this makes my job a little bit easier.
Lots of people come to visit from other cities for a weekend; they book a hotel and come to several events. So our audience is wider than the city’s population. But on the other hand, there's a lot of competition with other venues, with venues popping up everywhere all the time.
Many restaurants in the city think that we just book a band and that’s it, and they try to become a live music venue, but it doesn't roll like that. It’s very hard to make it work.
In our case the venue is very special. We have a fantastic quality sound system by Genelec loudspeaker company , and the venue looks good from the inside. We concentrate on offering a high quality experience, not just for audiences but for the musicians too. Our logic is that a great experience for the artist means a great performance which makes the audience feel good too.
Collaboration and networking are crucial in the creative music sector. How do you foster long-term relationships with artists, partners, festivals, and other industry professionals to create opportunities for your venue and audiences?
I've been working internationally for a long time and networking is absolutely essential. When you are running a music venture, you always need partners, you need your colleagues. It’s a live and ongoing learning process and the best way to learn about new music, about how to develop your project, is to listen to your peers.
Conversations with colleagues often spark good ideas and that's what I really like about EJN because it's the best way to find similar-minded people. I’ve been involved with EJN since 2000. I’ve also served on the board and as President. And of course there are networks other than EJN too!
The pandemic revealed a harsh truth experienced by many countries: the cultural sector was deemed non-essential, we were not important. Authorities closed venues without considering the impact on professionals in the field. Many lost their jobs, and financial support was slow to come. In Finland, we realised that politicians are failing to recognise the cultural sector as a legitimate professional field, partly because of the thin line between amateurs and professionals. This meant governments didn’t realise this is a proper job and livelihood for many.
This realisation led to the creation of several new networks in Finland, including one for the events industry. Together we are stronger. Speaking out together, whether through networks or unions, makes our voice much stronger.
Looking back on your career, were there particular mentors or role models who inspired or influenced you?
I’ve been inspired by many people starting with Aila Sauramo, who was a previous director of Jazz Happening and first hired me in 1994. She was my first role model because she was the only festival director that I knew, but also at that point female festival directors were almost non-existent.
I remember going to an event in France in 1999 and I was the only woman around the table as well as being 20 years younger than the others. During the event, someone came over to me to ask “Where is the director from Tampere? Why didn’t he come?” "Well", I said, "I'm the director..." But in 30 years, it has changed a lot and the situation is very different nowadays.
So I didn't have that many female role models because they just didn’t exist. When I got to know EJN and other member organisations, I met international festival programmers and directors. People like Nod Knowles. He and many other European figures have been important. Also, venue directors like Huub Van Riel who was Artistic Director at BIMHUIS in Amsterdam.
These people have been working for venues and festivals for a long time and have such strong experience in the field. They are my role models.
Women are often under-represented in the jazz and creative music sector. Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in this field? What would you like to see change?
This is a complex question because it depends on personal experience. From my perspective, I’ve had a fantastic career in the jazz field and it has not been more complicated because I'm a woman. However, I don’t have a formal jazz education. The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki is the specialist jazz university in Finland, and there are some people who question my professional status because I didn't study there. But that’s not about my gender.
In my role at Tampere Festivals during the 1990s and early 2000s, I wanted to book female artists but it wasn’t easy. At that time, the larger agencies were male-dominated in their programmes and artist representation which didn’t help.
Nowadays it's much easier. There are many fantastic female musicians around and the entire scene is more conscious of gender balance. I believe EJN has played a significant role in this shift over the last decade.
Of course, like most women, I faced some stupid harassment when I was young, but nothing too bad. Overall I've seen the jazz field change from very unbalanced gender-wise to a much better situation in the last five or so years.
As a Nordic person, I’m privileged to live in a society where it is easier to have both a career and a family.
What advice would you give to young people wanting to pursue a career in music venue or festival leadership?
My advice is to start by volunteering and never say no to a job. I'm not sure about other countries, but in Finland lots of festivals are dependent on volunteers to operate and it's a good way to get into the field because of course you have to start somewhere.
You can't start from the top, so create your own path and be capable of doing multiple roles. Organisations and teams are often small and you have to be ready to turn your hand to many things. It's also about understanding the whole operation from funding to the technical side. Avoid a narrow focus - don’t be like a horse with blinkers. You have to understand how it all works.
Above all, be curious. You have to be curious about the music and the field you are working in.
Can you highlight any up-and-coming female and non-binary artists that our members should look out for?
I recommend Finnish saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, who is fantastic, a really amazing musician. They’re a singer and composer. Also Selma Savolainen, a Finnish singer and composer, who performed at 12 Points Festival which we hosted at G Livelab Tampere in September 2024. Selma was the Finnish representative at 12 Points and there were also several other interesting young female artists on the programme.
What are your hopes for the creative music sector over the next decade? What would you love to see happen?
I want to see a stronger, versatile and better funded cultural sector. I also hope that music can be a force for peace - one that builds bridges not walls. This philosophy is important to me when I'm programming - that I can create a programme that is equal and gives opportunities for all kinds of artists, no matter what their background.
Image credits:
1. Ville Vainio
2. Saana Tuomi
