Pauliina May

Pauliina May (born Pauliina Pohjanheimo) (born 1967) is a Finnish-Dutch vocalist and a vocal pedagogue. She is currently resident in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands. 
Career.
Pauliina May studied vocals and vocal pedagogy at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory, Helsinki, Finland during the years 1991–1996. She continued her music studies specializing in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music and Argentinean Tango at the World Music Department of the Rotterdam Conservatorium, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1996–2000). She graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatorium as a vocal pedagogue on 11 December 2000 with a diploma 9/10. After moving to The Netherlands Pauliina uses "Pauliina May" as her artist name. 
Since autumn 2017 Pauliina May has been teaching Afro-Cuban and Caribbean vocals at Codarts (former Rotterdam Conservatorium).
Next to music studies Pauliina May has been dancing flamenco at the flamenco schools of Anneli Uronen in Finland 1985–1988 and Escuela de Mariquilla in Granada, Spain 1988–1989. May made a study trip to the Conservatory of Santiago de Cuba 1998. She has been studying Spanish and Spanish literature, culture and music at the Nueva Universidad de Granada 1988–1989. As a singer Pauliina May specialized herself in Afro-Cuban music already in Finland and many specialists opinioned her to be one of the best interpreter of the Afro-Cuban genre in Finland. She made also concerts in jazz genre in Finland. Beside her mother tongue Finnish, May speaks Spanish, English and Dutch. She studied as well Portuguese and French.
Competitions and rewards.
In 1993 Pauliina May won the second prize of the Finnish jazz competition "Lady Summertime". In 2001 she took part of the "Erasmus Jazz Price" –competition held for all instrumentalists in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where she was rewarded with the second prize with trombonist Louk Boudesteijn winning the first.
Orchestras.
In Finland Pauliina May has performed with various orchestras: "UMO Jazz Orchestra", "Jazztiikerit", "Pauliina's Bounce", "Pauliina May Jazz Quintet", "El Septeto", "Septeto Son", "Fiestecita", "Grupo Aché", "Sami y Su Conjunto", "Son Sabroson". In The Netherlands with "Lucas van Merwijk & The Cubop City Big Band", "Azucaraba", "Pauliina y La Banda IrÉ", "Son Caribe", "Rumbatá", "Saoco Masters of Salsa".
Pauliina May has been invited as a guest vocalists with Big Bands, like "Turku Big Band" (2000), "UMO Jazz Orchestra" (2002), in The Netherlands and "Romanian Radio Big Band" in Bucharest (2006–2007), "Oulunkylä Pop&Jazz Big Band" (Helsinki, Finland) and "Rotterdam Conservatory Big Band" (The Netherlands).
Family.
Pauliina’s mother is Arja Pohjanheimo and her father Erkki Pohjanheimo. Her sister is a Finnish Actress Petriikka Pohjanheimo.
External links.
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