The Real Group

The Real Group is a Swedish vocal group with five dedicated singers and musicians. The group has been touring for more than 30 years and continues to excite a broad audience all over the world. With a unique musical expression in a field between jazz, pop and Northern European choral music, The Real Group is considered one of the leading forces in the world of vocal music.

The Real Group was formed in 1984 by five students at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. The original members were eager to explore the artistic world of vocal music with an emphasis on jazz, pop and folk music. The group quickly gained an international audience and has grown to become one of the cornerstones of modern a cappella. Today the legacy of The Real Group is maintained and further developed by worldwide concert tours, recordings, educational mentoring and published scores. The mentorship has evolved over the years and continuously seeks to integrate artistic aspirations with human rights, ecological awareness, global concern and a feministic mindset.

The organization is today owned and managed by Margareta Bengtson, Anders Edenroth, Katarina Henryson and Peder Karlsson.

For more information on the Real Group, visit their website.

The Real Group’s 2019 Fall Institute Events

Friday, October 18

All Ears
Breakout 6 (2:45 PM – 4:00 PM) | Gratz Room 5G

All Ears is a workshop developed by Anders Edenroth and Katarina Henryson that focuses on the ability to listen. It addresses the individual singers responsibility in a group at the same time as it proves the power of the collective movement.

The idea is to provide a tool for ensembles to develop trust and initiative by heightening the level of the way you listen. We will do exercises that raises the sensitivity of how we can hear each other in the room and talk about the individual and collective aspects of this. We will be singing a simple song (no preparation needed) for nearly the whole session and work in two groups to exemplify how the group can challenge and expand the listening ability.

This workshop can be done with all levels of singers and needs no preparation other than it demands a lot of focus.

Rehearsal methods for vocal groups and choirs
Breakout 7 (4:15 PM – 5:30 PM) | Gratz Room 4E

In this session we will share some thoughts on our artistic work as well as our methodology that has evolved over the years. To deal with the challenges of working without a conductor, in styles that sometimes requires a different approach than the regular choir/ensemble methodology, the singers in the group have constantly tried to find new ways of developing communication, collective listening to find a more singer-centered methodology. This is an ongoing process that we would like to discuss with you.

GIA Fall Institute Presents: The Real Group
Concert Event (8:00 PM – 9:30 PM) | Fourth Presbyterian Sanctuary

Description coming soon.