The key ingredients of the Finnish tango are longing and passion, and the music of Tango-orkesteri Unto is firmly rooted in both. The six virtuosos led by pianist-arranger Timo Alakotila salute the classic Finnish tango repertoire with their freshly nuanced and powerful renditions of works by Unto Mononen and Toivo Kärki, the most prominent composers of the genre. Tango-orkesteri Unto was founded in 1998 to promote Finnish tango at EXPO98 in Lisbon. Since then, the band has since performed in several countries, including sold-out concerts in Vienna at the Jeunesse Festival (2009), at the FolkBaltica Festival in Germany (2007), at an event dedicated to Finnish tango at the City of London Festival (2009), and in Stockholm and Frankfurt (2011). Nordic Cool 2013 is presented in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Presenting Underwriter HRH Foundation Festival Co-Chairs The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, and Barbro Osher Major support is provided by t he Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Mrs. Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Dr. Glen Nelson, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, David M. Rubenstein, the State Plaza Hotel, and the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.