Markku Johansson has had a varied musical career taking in just about everything from classical music to jazz and popular music, and he can turn his hand to the trumpet, the flugelhorn, arranging, composing and conducting. He has worked with most of Finland's jazz musicians and conducted numerous big bands, studio and symphony orchestras. A founder member of the UMO Jazz Orchestra, he was its Artistic Director 1992-93 and has been skippering the Vantaa Pops Orchestra since 1988. He has been the receiver or many major Finnish jazz and light music awards, and two years ago of the Order of the Finnish Lion, I class.