Verneri Pohjola (born 1977 in Helsinki) is a Finnish jazz trumpeter and composer, son of bassist Pekka Pohjola and a graduate of the Sibelius Academy. He rose to prominence with the Ilmiliekki Quartet and has since released a string of critically acclaimed solo albums on Edition Records, earning the Emma Award for best jazz album (2015) and Finland's top jazz honour, the Yrjö Award (2017). In 2023 he premiered Kaija Saariaho's final work - the trumpet concerto HUSH, written specifically for him - with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Helsinki Festival.
Pohjola contributed trumpet to 'Hitzigallee', a single released by Tuomo & Markus on 6 February 2026 via Grand Pop.
Verneri Pohjola Quartet performed at the Bray Jazz Festival in Ireland in April 2025.
Saariaho's HUSH received its UK premiere on 24 January 2024 with Pohjola as soloist and Sakari Oramo conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Pohjola performed the US premiere of Saariaho's HUSH with the LA Philharmonic under Susanna Mälkki on 30 January 2025.
Pohjola released the album 'Monkey Mind' in November 2023 on Edition Records, featuring Kit Downes, Jasper Høiby and Olavi Louhivuori.
concert18:00Trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and pianist Tuomo Prättälä present a duo where traditional instrumental dialogue meets electronic sound.
concert18:00Trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and pianist Tuomo Prättälä perform as a duo at G Livelab in Tampere. Their music blends traditional jazz with electronic sounds.