Retuperän WBK goes Vaasa
Vaasa City Orchestra
cond. Minna-Aria Häsling
sol. Mari Pakarinen
Retuperän WBK
Anna-Maria Helsing’s younger colleague, Retuperä WBK’s artistic director Minna-Aria Häsling from Otaniemi in Espoo, now takes the conductor’s podium at the City Hall! This student orchestra, known as Retuperä, performs “newer French brass music” in interpretations grounded in humor and has, for decades, been almost a national institution. When the Vaasa City Orchestra meets WBK in this laughter-inducing encounter, a cheerful atmosphere is guaranteed, with tailcoats and rescue suits fluttering—especially when soloist Mari Pakarinen, a Vaasa native and the orchestra’s own trumpeter, shines in Alexander Arutiunian’s concerto.
Programme
Updating soon.
Artists
Mari Pakarinen, trumpet
Mari Pakarinen, originally from Kausala in Iitti, joined the Vaasa City Orchestra as Assistant Principal Trumpet in autumn 2018. She has studied in Tampere and in Zurich, Switzerland, and graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy in 2019. Mari has also worked on fixed-term contracts with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Pori Sinfonietta, and the Guards Band, and has taught at the Kuula Institute and other educational institutions.
In her free time, Mari enjoys growing houseplants, visiting flea markets, and in winter she practices ice swimming.
Retuperän WBK
Retuperän WBK is the world’s best Espoo-based student fire brigade orchestra performing newer French horn music. The orchestra was founded in 1933. The ensemble’s Artistic Misleader is currently Minna-Aria Häsling.
In its concerts, Retuperän WBK performs the brightest glass beads of classical music. From these carefully selected works, the orchestra’s own national arranger, Simeon Suihkutsalo, has retouched arrangements suited to the ensemble. Retuperän WBK is especially known for its concerts at Finlandia Hall, held every second year and always sold out. Many May Day celebrants are also familiar with the orchestra, as Retuperän WBK is seen and heard in the streets of the Helsinki metropolitan area every May Day. In addition to the capital region, the orchestra also performs elsewhere in Finland.
In spring 2026, Retuperän WBK will arrive in Vaasa to bring the spirit of May Day together with the Vaasa City Orchestra. In the joint concert, the two orchestras will be heard both separately and together—each in their own style!