Scandinavium Side by Side 2026: Festival Concert

More about the concert

When Irish-French Augusta Holmès, who at the time was not even allowed to study at the Paris Conservatory, was commissioned to write this grand piece, Ode Triomphale, for 1200 musicians, it was a historic achievement. Holmès was a pioneer among female composers in an era when women were expected to stick to small, delicate songs (if they composed at all), not bombastic mass arrangements.

At the Paris World’s Fair in 1889 – the same fair where the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated – the piece premiered as the musical highlight of the entire exhibition. After its premiere in 1889, Ode Triomphale’s has never been performed again, partly due to the enormous number of choristers and orchestra musicians required, and partly because Holmès, like many other female composers, has been forgotten and actively excluded throughout history.

Now, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Side by Side participants are doing something unique, performing the finale of this monumental festive work for choir and orchestra with all camp participants, simultaneously. Expect a sense of history and a musical mass performance without equal, with music that hasn’t reached an audience’s ears in 137 years!

Film Music and Nordic Tones in Focus

In addition to Holmès’ finale, this year’s concert features a repertoire filled with well-known film music and Nordic tones. Mission Impossible, a camp favorite, is joined by Emmy-winning music from The Mandalorian, composed by the new Swedish superstar Ludwig Göransson, whose innovative and genre-crossing music has been acclaimed worldwide. You’ll also enjoy Vuelie from the film Frozen, a song inspired by Sami joik and Nordic choral tradition.

Sweden’s greatest pop phenomenon, ABBA, is honored in a specially arranged medley with a touch of glitter. We also pay tribute again to Georg Riedel’s music with Bom sicka bom from Astrid Lindgren’s beloved stories about Emil in Lönneberga—a song that has become a natural part of Swedish children’s culture.

All under the direction of conductors Ron Davis Alvarez, Emilia Hoving, Marjolein Vermeeren, and choir leaders Birgitta Mannerström-Molin, Ida Rosén Hamrå, and Magnus Marchinkowski Pettersson.