Open To The World '24: The Real Group, Choras Bel Canto ir Draugai

A unique Christmas experience: the legendary Swedish vocal ensemble The Real Group and the best choir in Lithuania, Bel Canto, will meet for the first time in Vilnius! They will give the audience of the capital a festive program in which they will harmoniously combine modern choral, jazz, pop and Christmas music.

Continuing their unique "Open To The World" project, the choir " Bel Canto presents exclusive content and concert experiences. Two evenings in a row - 2024. December 15-16 – the choir will hold concerts with one of the world's most famous Swedish vocal ensembles, The Real Group. Swedish barbershop quartet "Lemon Squeezy", vocalist and guitarist from Norway, Marius Beck, soloist Lina Dambrauskaitė, string quartet led by August Gocent and others will also participate in the concert.

Exclusive content and concert experience in Christmas Vilnius

The Real Group and barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy, celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, will uniquely combine jazz, pop and Nordic music at the concert. European vocal music, enriching their programs with tasteful choreography and works that have become Christmas classics.

Choro Bel Canto's program will be dominated by contemporary choral and popular music. It will be enriched with solo roles by choristers Mindaugas Rumšas (saxophone), Justinas Stanevičius (vocals) and Andrius Gailiūnas (acoustic guitar). At the concert, the choir will perform with their long-time stage friends: soloist and guitarist from Norway Marius Beck, and soloist Lina Dambrauskaite. They will perform several joint works specially arranged for Bel Canto Choir by young generation Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren.

The Real Group, Bel Canto Choir and "Lemon Squeezy" is also preparing an impressive concert finale for the Vilnius audience. Its main highlight is 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 all over the world, was born from this piece.

We ourselves are a genre of music

The Real Group, an ensemble considered the standard of modern a cappella, was founded in 1984 by five students of the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm . Its first members were eager to explore the world of vocal music, focusing on jazz, popular and folk music. They looked for connections between different genres of music and experimented. Eventually, the ensemble found its own style and boldly claims - "we ourselves are a genre of music".

The group quickly gained international recognition and became one of the brightest vocal music ensembles in the world. .

The Real Group has released 24 albums and performed nearly 3,000 concerts worldwide. Their wide repertoire allowed them to collaborate with different artists such as opera star Barbara Hendricks, jazz musician Toots Thielemans, Beatles producer George Martin and others. The ensemble has repeatedly performed at the celebrations of the Swedish royal family, the opening show of the world football championships and other grandiose events.

Swedes pay great attention to education. The Real Group Academy organizes vocal music studies to inspire creativity and artistry in groups and choirs.

Participating in the concert

Vocal ensemble "The Real Group" (Sweden)

Choir "Bel Canto" (art director Milda Švelnienė)

Vocal ensemble "Lemon Squeezy" (Sweden)

Marius Beck (Norway), guitarist and vocalist

Lina Dambrauskaitė, soloist

String Quartet (conductor Augustas Gocentas)

Raminta Gocentienė, pianist

Choir "Bel Canto" artistic director Milda Švelnienė, choir masters Raminta Gocentienė and Povilas Vanžodis, vocal pedagogues Eglė Stundžiaitė and Eimantas Bešėnas. Producers of the "Open To The World" concert: Audrius Valatkevičius (Bel Canto Choir) and Anton Forsberg (The Real Group).

Visa information about the concert: www.chorasbelcanto.lt

Open To The World 2024

Choro Bel Canto Open To The World Festival – this is a unique traditional vocal-choral music project in Lithuania. Its purpose is to present modern content, the world's best choirs, vocal ensembles and composers, to promote cultural and choral music innovations and cooperation between music creators from Lithuania and other countries, to nurture Western culture, to create, make music and improve together.

Started in 2018, Open To The World will present five concerts this year with the participation of more than 200 singers and musicians: composer and conductor, two-time Grammy winner Christopher Tin ( USA), vocal ensemble "Duodeco", (Lithuania), Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, choir "A Scalpella" (Sweden), soloists Jamal Moore (USA) and Tomas Pavilionis (Lithuania), one of the world's most famous vocal ensembles "The Real Group" (Sweden), barbershop quartet "Lemon Squeezy" (Sweden), vocalist and guitarist Marių Beck (Norway), the best boy and youth choir in Lithuania "Dagilėlis" and others.

Project sponsors: building manufacturers INHUS, "Business Garden Vilnius" office park developed by "Vastint Lithuania", "SIRIN Development", the largest logistics and industrial real estate developer in the Baltic States, and Vilnius City Municipality. Information partner - LRT television, advertising partner - advertising agency "Ogilvy".

On the AllEvents portal you can always Buy tickets to an event Concerts Open To The World '24: The Real Group, Choras Bel Canto ir Draugai, Vilnius, Lietuvos nacionalinė filharmonija December 16

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