This year, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius’ vocal-choral music festival, Open To The World, will be an unforgettable gift for music lovers. In five exclusive concerts, the choir will immerse audiences in a unique world of sounds, presenting Christopher Tin – a global video game music star – and the legendary ensemble The Real Group. The program includes everything from a cinematic anthem for extinct bird species and hits from the video game Civilization to modern choral, jazz, barbershop, and Christmas music.

A Unique, Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience: Iconic Christopher Tin’s Cinematic and Video Game Music in Vilnius

For two consecutive nights – December 8-9 – at the new LVSO concert hall, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius will perform with the project’s primary guest – one of the world’s most renowned concert, opera, and video game music composers, conductor, and two-time Grammy winner Christopher Tin (USA). This will be his first visit to the Baltic and Nordic countries. The concerts will also feature the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra (artistic director Gintaras Rinkevičius), the vocal ensemble Duodeco, the choir A Scalpella (Sweden), soloists Jamal Moore (USA), Tomas Pavilionis, and Haka performers. Both concerts will be conducted by Christopher Tin himself.

Exclusive Content and Concert Experience in Christmas Vilnius

The concert’s first part will feature the premiere of Christopher Tin’s work, The Lost Birds (for choir, vocal ensemble, and orchestra). With its strong social and environmental message, this piece is a musical tribute to bird species driven to extinction by humanity. It is a moving, cinematic-style composition that honors the flocks of birds that once filled our skies and whose songs have fallen silent. It also warns about our fragile existence on this planet – the fate that befell the birds foretells our own potential extinction.

The concert’s second part is dedicated to the composer’s media works. For the first time in the region, pieces that have brought the composer global fame and Grammy awards will be performed live. For example, the hit Baba Yetu from the album Calling All Dawns, created for the video game Civilization IV, has become a modern choral standard and made music history as the first piece written for a video game to win a Grammy award.

Christopher Tin’s music has crossed borders and is streamed by hundreds of millions worldwide. Joining this global phenomenon, his most famous works will be performed in Vilnius by a team of 150 singers and musicians from Lithuania, the USA, and Sweden.

A Special Christmas Experience: The Legendary The Real Group with Bel Canto Choir Vilnius

Open To The World ’24 festival will also bring a wave of modern vocal-choral music just before Christmas. On December 15-16 at the Vilnius Philharmonic, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius will hold joint concerts with one of the world’s most famous Swedish vocal ensembles, The Real Group. They will present a festive program, harmoniously blending contemporary choral, jazz, pop, and Christmas music. The concerts will also feature the Swedish barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy, vocalist and guitarist from Norway Marius Beck, soloist Lina Dambrauskaitė, a string quartet led by Augusto Gocentas, and others.

We Are Our Own Genre

The Real Group is considered the standard of modern a cappella music. Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, the group uniquely blends jazz, pop, and Nordic vocal music, enriching their programs with tasteful choreography.

The group was founded in 1984 by five students from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. The original members were eager to explore the world of vocal music, focusing on jazz, pop, and folk music. They sought connections between different music genres and experimented. Over time, the ensemble found its unique style and boldly claimed, ” We are a music genre ourselves.” The Real Group quickly gained international recognition and became one of the world’s most prominent vocal ensembles.

Cozy Evening with Lithuania’s Finest

Open To The World ‘24 festival will also present an exceptional Christmas concert by Lithuania’s best boys’ choir, Dagilėlis. On November 30, at St. Catherine Church, the choir will perform their most beautiful pieces, ranging from Renaissance miniatures to contemporary choral music hits. The program will be enriched by long-time friends: soloist Viktorija Miškūnaitė, oboist Robertas Beinaris, and young soloists from Dagilėlis.

The choir is known for its unique blend of musical styles and emotionally charged performances. The ensemble is highly regarded and frequently performs abroad, having won numerous international competitions. As a singing school, Dagilėlis also significantly contributes to Lithuanian education.

Open To The World 2024

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius’ Open To The World Festival is a unique vocal-choir music project in Lithuania that has become a cherished tradition. It aims to showcase unique modern content and the world’s finest choirs, vocal ensembles, and composers. The festival promotes cultural and choral music innovation and fosters cooperation between Lithuanian and international musicians. It also serves as a platform to nurture Western culture, create music, and grow together.

Born in 2018, Open To The World will present five concerts featuring over 200 singers and musicians this year. The lineup includes two-time Grammy winner, composer, and conductor Christopher Tin (US), Duodeco Vocal Ensemble (LT), Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, A Scalpella Choir (SE), soloists Jamal Moore (US) and Tomas Pavilionis (LT), one of the world’s most renowned vocal ensembles, The Real Group (SE), the barbershop vocal ensemble Lemon Squeezy (SE), vocalist and guitarist Marius Beck (NO), and Lithuania’s premier boys’ choir, Dagilėlis, among others.

The project is sponsored by engineering, prefab, and construction company INHUS, the Business Garden Vilnius developed by Vastint Lithuania, the largest logistics and industrial property developers in the Baltic States, SIRIN Development, and the Vilnius City Municipality. LRT TV is the information partner, and Ogilvy is the advertising partner.

The artistic director of Bel Canto Choir Vilnius is Milda Švelnienė, choirmasters Raminta Gocentienė and Povilas Vanžodis, vocal coaches Eglė Stundžiaitė and Eimantas Bešėnas. Open To The World ’24 producers: Audrius Valatkevičius (Bel Canto Choir Vilnius), Claire Long (Music Productions), and Anton Forsberg (The Real Group).