TEHO. is a Finnish power-fiddle duo made up of Tero Hyvaluoma and Esko Järvelä. Together they explode musical boundaries while remaining strongly rooted in tradition.
Virtuosos Tero and Esko grew up in Central Ostrobothina – an area of Finland known for its extremely virile and rich folk music life - and made their big leap to the spotlight by winning the most significant folk music competition in Finland in 2016 (the annual Konsta Jylhä Competition). Their music combines fluently Finnish traditional pelimanni fiddling, Norwegian halling, Swedish polska, bebop, western swing, and composed, contemporary folk music, while allowing plenty room for improvisation which is also a big part of the duo’s sound.
Tero Hyväluoma and Esko Järvelä are both top-notch names in the Nordic folk music field and cross-over freelancers without genre boundaries. They have played together for years in various different bands and projects, including the long-running and popular Finnish band Frigg who performed at Shetland Folk Festival in 2009 and 2022.
During his time in Shetland, Esko is also going to be involved in a student tune exchange project involving young musicians from Kaustinen and Shetland.
"Each piece is intricately arranged, and played with passion and precision. The sound of someone sawing a fiddle in half, the screaming and growling, are nothing to worry about: these guys have some troll blood in their veins, and the madness just takes them occasionally."
Alex Monaghan, FolkWorld
"…virtuosic and occasionally off-the-wall Finnish fiddle duo..."
Seán Purser, Songlines
"TEHO.’s musicians are versatile professionals, who know the folk music tradition inside out. They use traditional elements imaginatively and can take their music from one mood to another."
Hanna Saha, Director Konsta Jylhä Competition
