Back in the 1980's, the Singing Christmas Tree in New York City was part of the South Street Seaport's "Cinderella" transformation from a run-down fishing harbor to a thriving tourist area featuring attractions, boutiques and restaurants. The Singing Christmas Tree was featured as one of the main attractions to help promote the new South Street Seaport and spread holiday cheer which it did with greart success and is still going strong. Amy Elizabeth Wheeler, one of the orginal choir members thought the production was great and when she came to Gothenburg, Sweden (several years later) she thought the production would be just as successful in Gothenburg as it was in NYC. She presented the idea to Pehr Sandström, in charge of special effects and set-building at the Gothenburg Opera, who also thought it was a a terrific idea and sketched drawings for the scaffolding and constructed a model.
After three years in the drawer, Den Sjungande Julgranen, finally got its big break in 2004 when Pernilla Warberg-Andersson (one of Gothenburg's best sources for "making something happen") saw an opportunity for the production to be featured in "Julstaden Göteborg" (Christmas in Gothenburg) which was an event conceived of by Leif Nilsson, vice VD of Göteborg & Co. The event was free to the public and slated to run annually for three years with an aim to increase tourism and cheer up Gothenburgians - not to mention other nordic neighbors. The arrangers for Julstaden Göteborg liked the idea of a "singing Christmas tree" and bought the production from Amy and Pehr and kept Amy on as the Artistic Director.
The scaffolding was welded together by Nordsvets AB and The Lodola Choir (Lodolakören) conducted by Thomas Lagerberg, was selected to be the debut choir.
The premier went well thanks to everybody's good spirits and hard work and, most importantly, the generous hearts of Gothenburg. Den Sjungande Julgranen has enjoyed six seasons in Bältesspännarparken, featuring choirs such as Lodolakören, Göteborgs Gosskör (The Gothenburg Boys Choir) conducted by Maria Försström, Hvitfeldska kören conducted by Martin Bagge and Martin Rossing, as well as Härlanda Kammerkör conducted by David Molin.
Roger Carlsson, principle percussionist of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Mikael Andersson, a popular free-lance percussionist, are the ABSOLUTELY indespensible rhythm section that makes Den Sjungande Julranen swing and glitter.
Den Sjungande Julgranen is delighted to continue being a part of "Julstaden Göteborg" and hopes that 2010 will warm the hearts of Gothenburg's citizens as it has for the past six seasons. Many thanks to Lodalkören and Thomas Lagerberg and special thanks to Maria Drott, Pernilla Warberg-Andersson, Mikael Isacson and Göteborg & Co. for making this production possible.
Information about Den Sjungande Julgranen