The Real Group

They are renowned far beyond Sweden as a jazz vocal ensemble – for their flawless technique and seamless vocal harmony. At Beethovenfest, The Real Group are taking on Bach’s »Mass in B minor«. In a brand-new arrangement by Bonn-based cross-genre jack-of-all-trades Marcus Schinkel, the work comes to the Beethovenhalle – in an elaborate co-production with the chamber choir of Bonn’s Kreuzkirche Vox Bona and the Flemish B’Rock Orchestra. How do the seasoned Jazz singers approach Bach? We asked them.

What does Bach have in common with Jazz?

I think us members in the group have quite distinct different interpretations in most aspects of music, which really gives us a nice edge when it comes to workshopping new music or already existing music. One perspective of this question would be his way of writing melodic counterpoints in my opinion.

Have you experience with singing Bach? What is the difference for you to your usual repertoire?

The group has sung a wide variety of music and are no strangers to singing Bach both individually and as a group.
Our usual repertoire often contains more harmonic extensions, syncopations and elements that come from our own musical language, but the attention to detail and communication between voices is equally important.

What do you like about the work of Marcus Schinkel and his trio?

We think it is amazing. We appreciate the openness and willingness to move between different genres and musical worlds. There is a freedom in following what feels musically interesting rather than being limited by categories.
We recognize something of ourselves in that approach. Over the years we have sometimes said that The Real Group has become its own genre in a way, because we have always enjoyed exploring and combining different musical expressions.

The Mass in B Minor is a massive work of church music. Do you see it as carrying a message of faith, or something beyond that?

I’m not really sure what my take on it would be on a deeper level, but I can’t deny the feeling or experience rather you get from singing these pieces, sharing the music with singers, musicians, the audience and so on, and it’s hard not to be moved with the emotions that can bubble up when getting caught in these beautiful pieces.

Beethovenfest 2026 runs under the theme of »Home«. Tell us how you manage to make yourself at home, when you tour the world as artists.

Good question! We definitely have different needs within the group and probably different ways of finding that feeling of home. It is a great comfort that we have each other to lean on in the group, we’ve become like a small family of sorts.
Sometimes it can be bringing something along that reminds you of home, or keeping small routines while travelling. And for well-being on tour there are also some practical rules that become surprisingly important: sleep when you can sleep, eat when you can eat.