ABOUT
THE REAL GROUP
“We are our own genre.”
— The Real Group
The Real Group is a Swedish vocal group with five dedicated singers and musicians. The group has been touring for 40+ 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.
History
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. Anders Jalkeus is no longer a part of the organization and has had no connection with the artistic or educational work of The Real Group since 2015.
Today. From left: Peder Karlsson, Margareta Bengtson, Katarina Henryson and Anders Edenroth.
Yesterday. Five youngsters who started to sing together 1984. From left: Katarina Henryson, Margareta Bengtson, Anders Jalkéus, Anders Edenroth and Peder Karlsson.
Former members
Anders Edenroth was the tenor 1984–2021.
Katarina Henryson was the alto 1984–2016 + 2020–2021.
Peder Karlsson was the baritone 1984–2010.
Margareta Bengtson was the soprano 1984–2008.
Morten Vinther was the baritone 2010–2020.
Jānis Strazdiņš was the bass 2015–2021.
Anton Forsberg was the baritone 2020–2021.
Jan Apelholm was the live sound engineer, recording engineer and co-producer 1986–2015.
Anders Jalkéus was the bass 1984–2015.
Emma Nilsdotter was the soprano 2008–2020.
Lisa Östergren was the alto 2016–2020.
Linnéa Carell-Brunnberg was the live sound engineer 2015–2021.
Kerstin Ryhed Lundin substituted when Emma was on maternity leaves both in 2010 and 2012.
Johanna Nyström substituted for both Katarina and Margareta during their maternity leaves from 1996–2000 and for a period in 2006.
Jeanette Köhn was the substitute for Margareta during 1993 when the group was working with Povel Ramel in the show ”Knäpp Igen”.