A unique Christmas experience: the legendary Swedish vocal ensemble The Real Group and Lithuania's finest choir Bel Canto will meet for the first time in Vilnius!
As part of its unique Open To The World project, Bel Canto presents a unique content and concert experience. On two consecutive nights - 15-16 December 2024 - the choir will perform with one of the world's most renowned Swedish vocal ensembles, The Real Group. The concert will also feature the Swedish barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy, vocalist and guitarist from Norway, Marius Beck, soloist Lina Dambrauskaitė, a string quartet led by August Gocent and others.
Exclusive content and concert experience in Christmas in Vilnius
Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, The Real Group and barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy will uniquely combine jazz, pop and Northern European vocal music in a concert that will enrich their programmes with tasteful choreography and Christmas classics.
The Bel Canto Choir's programme will be dominated by contemporary choral and popular music. It will be enriched with solo roles by choir members Mindaugas Rumšas (saxophone), Justinas Stanevičius (vocals) and Andrius Gailiūnas (acoustic guitar). The choir will also perform with its long-time stage friends: soloist and guitarist from Norway Marius Beck, and soloist Lina Dambrauskaite. They will perform several collaborative pieces arranged especially for Bel Canto by the young Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren.
The Real Group, Bel Canto and Lemon Squeezy are preparing a spectacular finale for the Vilnius audience. The main attraction will be the Ukrainian heritage treasure Shchedryk and the popular Carol Of The Bells (arranged by Pentatonix), which has become an integral part of the festive repertoire around the world.
We are a genre of music
The Real Group, a modern a cappella standard, was founded in 1984 by five students at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Its first members wanted to explore the world of vocal music, focusing on jazz, popular and folk music. They looked for links between different genres of music and experimented. Eventually, the ensemble found its own style and boldly states that "we are a genre of music".
The Real Group quickly gained international recognition and became one of the world's leading vocal ensembles.
The Real Group has released 24 albums and performed almost 3000 concerts worldwide. Their wide-ranging repertoire has allowed them to collaborate with artists as diverse as opera star Barbara Hendricks, jazz musician Toots Thielemans, The Beatles' producer George Martin and others. The ensemble has appeared on numerous occasions at celebrations for the Swedish royal family, the opening show of the World Cup and other grand events.
Swedes place great emphasis on education. "The Real Group Academy organises vocal music studios to inspire creativity and artistry in groups and choirs.
The Real Group Vocal Ensemble (Sweden)
Bel Canto Choir (artistic director Milda Švelnienė)
Lemon Squeezy Vocal Ensemble (Sweden)
Marius Beck (Norway), guitarist and vocalist
Lina Dambrauskaitė, soloist
String Quartet (leader Augustas Gocentas)
Raminta Gocentienė, pianist
Artistic director of Bel Canto Choir Milda Švelnienė, choirmasters Raminta Gocentienė and Povilas Vanžodis, vocal teachers Eglė Stundžiaitė and Eimantas Bešėnas. "Open To The World is produced by Audrius Valatkevičius (Bel Canto Choir) and Anton Forsberg (The Real Group).
All information about the concert.:www.chorasbelcanto.lt
