Dear singers and festival participants!
It is a joy to look forward to sharing a few days with you. Ten years have passed since last time we hosted a festival in Stockholm.
It’s about time we do it again.
When I write this the world looks pretty dark, with horrible wars in Europe and elsewhere. A worldwide pandemic is still a part of our everyday lives, and so is the risk of collapse of ecological systems that are crucial for life on Earth.
– Should we be singing?
– Yes!
Let us remind each other of the kind-heartedness of humanity. Let us come together to share our creativity and a sense of hope, as a reaction and constructive action to the gloom and doom in daily news. Singing together is one of the most obvious ways to manifest unity and non-hierarchical structures. We want many voices to be heard. Let´s have fun together and ignite a spark!
Welcome to The Real Group Festival 2022!
/Katarina Henryson, festival director
ABOUT YOUR
FESTIVAL
PASS

Festival activities overview
- Concerts at four different venues in Stockholm, Sweden: Södra Teatern, Dieselverkstaden, Rival and Eric Ericsonhallen
- Inspiration & interaction workshops at Södra Teatern and Dieselverkstaden
- Pre & post festival webinars
- Single Singers – email: info at thesinglesingers dot com
The festival pass gives admission to the festival concerts, inspirational workshops and to pre&post festival activities online. You get your festival pass at registration in Stockholm on August 18th.
Stay tuned as more information about the festival activities is posted on this web site.
Price for adults 240 €, students 200 €
Please note! Activities with a limited number of seats require separate registration for that activity. After purchase of your festival pass, you will receive a link to an online form where you enter your preferences.
sign up for single singers!
for singers
annemarie homan
emily may t'hoen
3 songs + 2 rehearsals + 1 performance = The Single Singers!
Will you visit The Real Group Festival on your own? Perhaps you didn’t get your entire group to come with you? And as a result, you don’t get to perform at the festival but you still want to? Join The Single Singers!
Learn your parts at home, meet at the festival, have two rehearsals and a performance in Ericsonhallen on Sunday, August 21.
To sign up for Single Singers, please do so by sending an email to info at thesinglesingers dot com – after purchase of a festival pass.
FESTIVAL
Schedule

REGISTRATION
SINGLE SINGERS
WELCOME SESSION
POST-CONCERT
AFTERGLOW – Take A Note (conductor: Josef Sjöblom)

WARMUP
THE REAL GROUP – CREATE
SINGLE SINGERS
LATVIAN VOICES – CREATE
RAMA CORNER #1
JAZZ PHRAZING
RESONANCE
RAMA CORNER #2
RAJATON – CREATE
THE SWINGLES – CREATE
VIDEO CREATION
BEATBOX ADD-ON
BEATBOX ADD-ON
concerts
7 - 11pm
VOCAL TAPAS – FOR FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS
RAMA CORNER
TULIPS FROM IKEA
VOCAL BRAND
SYNG SELECTED
TAKE A NOTE (w conductor: Josef Sjöblom)


inspiration
10am - 3pm
WARMUP
Sustainability and vocal music
RESONANCE
THE REAL GROUP – CREATE
TIME TO SING
SINGLE SINGERS
VOCAL GROUP COACHING
4PM - MIDNIGHT
CONCERT #1
CONCERT #2
AFTERGLOW
CONCERTS
CONCERT #2
VOCAL tapas
FRIDAY
DIESELVERKSTADEN
19.00
RAMA CORNER
SYNG SELECTED
VOCAL BRAND
DAIS
TAKE A NOTE
After an intense day of workshops at Dieselverkstaden (“Diesel factory” in English – which may sound like a name from the 1900s, which it is) we are happy to give you an equally intense concert evening with the instant music RAMA Corner collective that has developed during the day with the guidance of Jim Daus Hjernøe.
The night will offer the results of possible internal affairs that might have developed during the course of the day but it will definitely give you at least 30 minutes with the Stockholm group Vocal Brand.
The evening will end with our Danish guests Syng Selected bringing down the hall under the expertise of Morten Vinther. Some Danish bounce just might happen.
Some of us may never forget the concerts at The Real Group Festival in Stockholm ten years ago. The energy still lingers on and you will recognize some voices from that time. You will also get to know some new singers. What could be better?
The Real Group 2.0, Latvian Voices and Shipsea, Rajaton and the Swingles will perform two concerts with a similar format but different repertoire. Which means you will hear all four groups and Shipsea at the 16 o´clock concert as well as at the 20 o´clock concert.
The concert venue as well as the hotel Rival is owned by ABBA´s Benny Andersson whatever that means. It is worth mentioning though.
Eric Ericsonhallen is a special place for vocal music named after Sweden´s most famous choral conductor. The concert is done in collaboration with Eric Ericson International Choral Centre. This concert hall, with big beautiful acoustics, located on the island of Skeppsholmen, used to be a church.
Single Singers
At noon we will have a session for the festival participants where we will enjoy the performance by the Single Singers led by Emily May t’Hoen and Annemarie Homan.
Au revoir
The festival team will take the opportunity to say thankyou and goodbye.
Afternoon concert
Margareta Bengtson, who is one of the founding members of The Real Group, and Anna Jalkéus who is a jazz singer, a composer and a harpist – just like her mother – will play their harps and sing together.
Latvian Voices, Shipsea/Jānis Šipkēvics and Syng Selected (conducted by Morten Vinther) will choose music from their repertoire that the hall invites them to perform.
We hope we will conclude the festival in such a way that we all feel ignited, inspired and full of hope!
DIRECTIONS
HOW DO I GET THERE?
Bike
Stockholm E-bikes is a very nice, sustainable and affordable way to get around in Stockholm. 11 SEK for 24 hours, 26 SEK for a week, includes unlimited rides (max 90 minutes). Bolt also offers bikes.
Scooter
Rent a scooter through Link, Bolt, Tier, Voi, and a few other companies. Apps available in your App Store of choice.
Bus, tram and subway (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik – SL)
A single journey ticket is valid for unlimited travel on all SL services for 75 minutes and costs SEK 39 (SEK 26 for students and seniors). There are also travel cards available, for instance 24 hours (SEK 165), 72 hours (SEK 330) or a week (SEK 440).
For easy access you can connect your credit card (or phone with ApplePay or equivalent) for contactless pay.
(Ukrainian passport and IDs are valid for free transportation)
Taxi
Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir and Taxi 020 are good choices. Uber and Bolt are also available.
Assuming that you come by public transportation from the center of Stockholm:
At first you go by subway and get off either at Slussen or at Gullmarsplan.
At SLUSSEN you go to “Buses to Nacka and Värmdö”.
In this terminal, there are several buslines that takes you to bus stop Sickla Bro (among them bus no 409, 413, 414 or 422)
or You can also take bus 401 and go to bus stop Sickla Allé. Either way you should only go three stations.
OR if you go by subway to GULLMARSPLAN you can take the Tram (called Tvärbanan) and go to the end-station Sickla.
The trip from Slussen to Sickla Bro takes about 10 minutes.
The trip from Gullmarsplan to Sickla takes about 10 minutes.
Happy journey 🙂
You can pay with a credit card on the bus.
See below under Venues
All workshops are at Dieselverkstaden (address: Marcusplatsen 17, Nacka), in four rooms: Stora Salen, Lilla Salen, Lamberts Hörna and Musik & Dans-salen. There will be a map as well as volunteers around to assist you to find the right room for the workshops you have signed up for.
Here is list of recommendations of restaurants close to the concert venues.
Thursday
Near Södra Teatern:
- street address: Hökens gata 1A
- type of food: Fast-food, pizza
- price range: SEK 100-150
- Sankt Paulsgatan 2
- Vietnamese
- around SEK 175
- Svartensgatan 4
- French, Crêpes
- around SEK 120
- Sankt Paulsgatan 2
- Fast-food, burgers, vegetarian
- SEK 100-170
Saturday
Near Rival:
- Mariatorget 2
- Nordic, ecological, fast-food, fish, meat, veggie
- SEK 120-130
- Hornsgatan 39B
- Fast-food, vegetarian, vegan
- SEK 100-120
- Bysistorget 4
- Fast-food, burgers, veggie
- SEK 130-150kr
- Hornsgatan 68
- Italian, pizza
- SEK 100-150kr
FOUR DAYS - FOUR LOCATIONS

Stockholm
Capital of sweden

Four days of activities, four different venues: Södra Teatern, Dieselverkstaden, Rival and Eric Ericsonhallen. Each of these places has its own ambience, history and cultural significance.
The Real Group was formed in 1984 in Stockholm, a place where the Baltic Sea meets the lake of Mälaren; where salt water meets sweet water. Our music is inspired by many different flavours of music – but the home base has always been Stockholm.
Urban and suburban lifestyles makes Stockholm of today a multi-cultural environment. During the four days of The Real Group Festival 2022, you will see different sides of Stockholm, as we explore new expressions, repertoire and creativity in a cappella music.
Let the fun begin!
Venues


Dieselverkstaden
+ Rival
Saturday, Aug 20
DIESELVERKSTADEN
Marcusplatsen 17,
131 54 Nacka, Sweden
TEATER RIVAL
Mariatorget 3,
118 48 Stockholm, Sweden


webinars
ABOUT The Real Group Academy webinars
In our webinars, we continue the main theme of The Real Group Festival: creative development of vocal groups, choirs, and vocal music as a whole.
The webinars listed below are free of charge.
You need to sign up in advance to a webinar that you wish to attend. The webinar Zoom link is emailed to you after registration.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
The Intelligent Choir and Vocal Painting
empty
webinar for SINGERS and choir leaders

Jim daus hjernøe
SEPT 15
11am – 12noon cet
In this webinar, Jim Daus Hjernøe will present an overview of his innovative concept, The Intelligent Choir, for learning and rehearsing jazz/pop choral music.
Jim will also give an introduction to Vocal Painting – a set of tools to facilitate music making in the moment for choirs on any level.
The Intelligent Choir methodology is an offspring of Jim’s musical philosophy: to train vocal leaders to inspire their singers to take more initiative and share responsibility in the musical process through co-creation.
This webinar is free of charge. The Zoom link is sent to you after you have signed up.
play it by voice
webinar for singers, vocal groups and choir leaders
Katus várallyay

OCTOBER 15 or 16 (time TBA)
This is a webinar on Zoom to introduce Play It By Voice, an e-book by Peder Karlsson.
Katus Várallyay and Gina Kanizsa, from Hungarian vocal group Jazzation, have been involved in the making of this e-book since 2019 and will facilitate the session.
The webinar will include a presentation of the chapter titles – Start – Collect ideas – Get songs – Unlock your potential – Rehearse – Prepare for the stage – Perform – Celebrate – Rest – as well as discussion and questions & answers about the book contents, the creation process, and related online courses at The Real Group Academy.
The first e-book chapter – Start – will be available free of charge after the webinar.
You need to register in advance to this webinar. The Zoom link is sent to you after registration.
LEADERSHIP FOR CO-CREATION
empty
webinar for vocal groups and choir leaders
Sandra Feketija
OCTOBER 21, 14:00 – 15:15 CET
Rotated initiative and teamwork leadership has played a major role in the development of The Real Group since the beginning in 1984. A variety of musical styles in the group’s repertoire, as well as diversity of personal expressions as a source of group sound and identity are some of the results of this model.
Leadership for co-creation is an online course at The Real Group Academy. Participants get four webinars plus access to video tutorials and other materials in an online classroom.
In the first session on June 7th , festival pass owners are welcome to participate for free. In this two-hour webinar, we will give an introduction to various topics, such as:
- How can you inspire and invite singers to rotated initiative and teamwork leadership in your own vocal group or choir?
- How is it possible to give each group member a say-so in decision-making for your group, without getting stuck in “consensus in absurdum”, and while still maintaining a direction forward in your activities?
Long time You'll SEE
empty
webinar for singers, groups and thinkers
LONG TIME YOU’LL SEE – INFO
When?
The performance takes place one Sunday each year during ten years in a row (2019-2028)
Where?
The vineyard “Långmyre vineri”, Hamra, Gotland, Sweden
Who?
Professional performers, amateur singers, choirs. Audience/participants: Anyone who is interested can join or watch/experience.
NOVEMBER 9, 14:00 – 14:30 CET
Tiden går – tempo scorre
In this webinar, Katarina Henryson will give an overview of her long-term community/art work.
Long Time – You ́ll See is a sonic performance. An artwork at the crossroads between art, performance, vocal improvisation, Landart and Participatory art.
Long Time – You ́ll See is a manifestation and an open call by Katarina Henryson that addresses long term orientation, persistence, presence, sustainability, communication and connection without words at Långmyre winery, Gotland, Sweden.
Long Time – You ́ll See invites professional singers, performers, artists, amateur singers, anyone who is interested, given that you participate in a minimum of one preparatory workshop. Audience can observe for as long or as short as one wants.
“The singing or rather the sounds we create are not regarded as good or bad but as something that carries us through the piece where all voices are equally important. The core of Long Time – You ́ll See is the connection without words we will experience when walking through the field.”
PREVIOUS WEBINARS
PRE-FESTIVAL SING-ALONG
webinar for singers - and for you who want to know more about the festival
...AND MORE

AUGUST 2
10:00 – 10:30am CET
In this webinar, The Real Group (Clara Fornander, Joanné Nugas, Johannes Rückert Becker, Axel Berntzon and Daniele Dees) presented the festival song – and the participants were invited to sing along.
After the sing-along session, Katarina Henryson and the festival team gave response to questions about the festival, and said a few words about the festival activities.
SEPTEMBER 9, 14:00-15:00 CET
The creation of an a cappella big band based on Real Group inspiration – from youth choir to professional a cappella big band.
Jesper Holm tells the story of his work with Touché since 1992 based on inspiration from The Real Group, The Singers Unlimited and Count Basie Big Band.
Tips and tricks on how to get that marvelous sound. 12 members, but only one bass singer made the sound unique and so did for example the known “dubbing-studio effect“ done live.
Examples of the work in details on complex harmony, swing feeling and jazz phrasing and adapting big band expression will be a major part of this webinar to get you inspired. Recordings from these 30 years that you have never heard, will be played to show the development of the ensemble.
A Touché live version of the big band score of “Embraceable You” from The Real Group’s album with big band, will also be shown, and the process of making it totally a cappella will be explained.
WORKSHOPS
For this festival, we have chosen various workshop topics with the goal to look beyond current methods and practises. We want to inspire you to build bridges from cultural expressions of today, that may be inherited from the legacy of great artists, composers and ensembles that lived before, to stretch our perception into future musical expressions and practises that we may not have known were possible.
artists
Partners
Erasmus (EU) | Södra Teatern | Teater Rival | Eric Ericson Choral Centre | Dieselverkstaden | Statens Musikverk/Kulturrådet