17-21 June 2023 is the 10th anniversary of the international music camp Side by Side! During some intense summer days, children and young people from around the world gather in Gothenburg to play in an orchestra and sing in a choir. Through music, we build bridges between people, cultures and continents.
The camp is part of the official anniversary celebration for Gothenburg 400 years/2023 and offers several concerts for the public, including the large Festival Concert in Scandinavium.
Exciting conductors, musicians and educators lead workshops and rehearsals during Side by Side and the concerts are played side by side with musicians from the Gothenburg Symphony and the Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble.
Apply 2023
Apply to participate in this summer’s Side by Side 17-21 June 2023! All children and young people between the ages of 6 and 23 who are interested in music are welcome to the camp.
- Application period 1: 9 Nov-13 Dec
- Application period 2: 14 Dec-8 Feb
- Late application/remaining positions: 15 Feb-13 Apr
Contact
Johan Andersson Duraffourd
Project leader/Producer johan.andersson@gso.se

Do you want to work with Side by Side?
To Side by Side 2023, we are looking for creative music lovers and organizational geniuses who like to work with people in general and children and young people in particular.
We employ:
- Child host
- Accommodation host
- Site host
- Track host
Help as a volunteer at this year's anniversary camp!
To make Side by Side an experience of a lifetime for our participants, many adults are needed who contribute with their commitment, their time, their hearts and their hands.
As a volunteer, you get to experience the camp feeling up close and have the opportunity to attend the camp’s various concerts for free. You will also be invited to a concert with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in autumn 2023.
Read more & apply on the Side by Side-webChildren and youth from all over the world
During the Side by Side-camp children and young people from around the world get together to play in orchestra, sing in choir, create and develop. Through music, we build bridges between people, cultures and continents.
Participants rehearse and spend time together during the camp, and they get to meet exciting artists and performers who take charge of workshops and rehearsals. Together they inspire each other, develop their talents and acquire new skills and knowledge. Parents and family members are also welcome to participate.
All participants in the camp gather in a magnificent concert together with musicians from the Gothenburg Symphony and singers from the Vocal Ensemble, who are also mentors for the participants.
How the camp started
In 2009, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra began a collaboration with the city of Gothenburg to establish El Sistema in Sweden. It was the orchestra’s chief conductor Gustavo Dudamel who brought the model from Venezuela.
In 2010, the first El Sistema school started in Hammarkullen by Angered’s cultural school and in 2014 the first Side by side camp was launched, in close collaboration with the El Sistema Sweden foundation.
The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the main organizer of the camp since 2016.
To the Side by Side-web
Develop your musicality with us
Musicians from Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, professional educators and singers inspire you in the Concert Hall - guaranteed energy injections for children and youth where you get to know even more people who love music.