Pikku Papu’s Orchestra is a band that composes and performs children’s music. The orchestra originated from a children’s music course at the Sibelius Academy in 2012 and has since delighted children and adults of all ages across Finland.
Pikku Papu is a clever little turtle created by Liisa Kallio, who has appeared in numerous children’s books and songs. The poems and colorful illustrations about Pikku Papu and his friends come to life in Pikku Papu’s Orchestra’s family concerts. The songs deal with friendship, joy, anger, cooking, nature, getting along with others— the whole spectrum of life!
The orchestra’s energetic performances, acoustic instruments, multi-voiced singing, and playful arrangements spanning various musical genres have won the hearts of both young and older listeners. Many have become familiar with Pikku Papu’s songs through Yle TV2’s Pikku Kakkonen and the Musarullaa concert series.
In addition to Papu songs, the orchestra has interpreted and arranged traditional children’s songs such as “Mörri-Möykky” and “Lennä Lennä Leppäkerttu” for Yle Radio.
Pikku Papu’s Orchestra received the Early Childhood Music Teachers’ Children’s Album of the Year award in 2012 and a nomination for the Emma Award for Children’s Album of the Year in 2016. In 2018, the orchestra received the Wihuri Foundation’s recognition award and was named Band of the Year at the children’s music gala.