Open To The World ’24: The Real Group, Choras Bel Canto ir Draugai
A Unique Holiday Experience: The legendary Swedish vocal ensemble, The Real Group, and Lithuania’s finest, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius, met for the first time in Vilnius! Together, they presented a festive program that harmoniously blended contemporary choral music, jazz, pop, and Christmas classics.
As part of its unique Open To The World festival, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius offers unique content and concert experience.
On two consecutive nights, December 15-16, 2024, at Philharmonics in Vilnius, the choir performed with The Real Group, one of the world’s most renowned Swedish vocal ensembles.
The concert also featured the Swedish barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy, Norwegian vocalist and guitarist Marius Beck, soloist Lina Dambrauskaitė, a string quartet led by Augustas Gocentas, and other talented artists. Solo roles in the concert were performed by singers from the Bel Canto Choir Vilnius: Justinas Stanevičius, Eglė Padagaitė, Lauryna Kriščiūnaitė-Kirjanovė (vocals), Andrius Gailiūnas (guitar), Mindaugas Rumšas (saxophone), and Raminta Gocentienė (piano).
Exclusive Experience and Holiday Spirit in Vilnius
The Real Group and the barbershop quartet Lemon Squeezy presented a unique blend of jazz, pop, and Northern European vocal music in programs enriched with tasteful choreography and Christmas classics.
Bel Canto Choir Vilnius’ program featured contemporary choral and popular music. The choir also collaborated with its long-time stage partners, Norwegian soloist and guitarist Marius Beck and soloist Lina Dambrauskaitė. Together, they performed several joint works specially arranged for the Bel Canto Choir Vilnius by young Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren.
The Real Group, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius, and Lemon Squeezy prepared an impressive concert finale for the Vilnius audience. The main highlights were the Ukrainian heritage treasure “Shchedryk” and the popular “Carol Of The Bells” (arranged by the group “Pentatonix”), which evolved from this piece and has become an integral part of the holiday repertoire worldwide.
We Are Our Own Genre
The Real Group, a modern a cappella standard, was founded in 1984 by five students from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Its founding members wanted to explore the world of vocal music, focusing on jazz, popular, and folk music. They sought to create links between different genres and experimented extensively. Eventually, the ensemble found its unique style and boldly states, “We are our own genre of music.”
The group quickly gained international recognition, becoming one of the world’s most prominent vocal music ensembles.
The Real Group has released 24 albums and performed almost 3,000 concerts worldwide. Their extensive repertoire has allowed them to collaborate with notable and diverse artists such as opera star Barbara Hendricks, jazz musician Toots Thielemans, and The Beatles’ producer George Martin, among others. The ensemble has performed at numerous high-profile events, including celebrations for the Swedish Royal Family and the opening shows of the World Cup.
The Swedes place great emphasis on education. The Real Group Academy organizes vocal music workshops to inspire creativity and artistry in groups and choirs.
Concert Program
Bel Canto Choir Vilnius
White Winter Hymnal
All That Could Never Be Said
The Seal Lullaby
Fix You
To June This Morning
Crawling
My Hero
This Is My Song (Finlandia)
Sogno di Volare
The Real Group & Lemon Squeezy
Splanky
Sankta Lucia
Julfemman
Dichotomy
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
Jingle Bells
Santamagic
Cool Yule
What Child Is This
Bring Him Home
Ho-dee-ho (Rhythm in My Heart)
The World For Christmas
Finale: All Together
Shchedryk + Carol Of The Bells
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year
Artists & Performers
Vocal ensemble The Real Group (Sweden).
Bel Canto Choir Vilnius (artistic director Milda Švelnienė).
Vocal ensemble Lemon Squeezy (Sweden).
Marius Beck (Norway), guitarist and vocalist.
Lina Dambrauskaitė, soloist.
String quartet (director Augustas Gocentas).
Raminta Gocentienė, pianist.
The Real Group members: Clara Fornander, Joanné Nugas, Johannes Rückert Becker, Axel Berntzon, Daniele Dees.
Lemon Squeezy members: David Holst, Victor Nilsson, Martin Jangö, Sam Molavi.
Bel Canto Choir Vilnius’ artistic director, Milda Švelnienė, choirmasters Raminta Gocentienė and Povilas Vanžodis, vocal coaches Eglė Stundžiaitė and Eimantas Bešėnas. Producers of the Open To The World concert: Audrius Valatkevičius (Bel Canto Choir Vilnius) and Anton Forsberg (The Real Group).
Sponsors & Partners
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 office park 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.