The Eric Ericson hall at Skeppsholm’s Church in Stockholm was absolutely packed when the audience experienced an unforgettable evening at MTG’s traditional Christmas concert.
Singer Thomas Di Leva’s emotional voice accompanied by the children’s choir You Can Sing Gospel Kids set the standard for the evening while the enthusiastic host Sofia Rågenklint helped build up the atmosphere. And when Swedish rock band Takida took to the stage, the pace really picked up a few notches.
Singers Jill Johnson and Loreen chose some classics for their repertoire: “Greensleves”, “Away in A Manger” and “Silent Night”, amongst others. The two choirs, One Voice and the children’s choir, enabled the artists to take their songs to new heights. Great performances from singers Erik Hassle and Chris Medina, known from American Idol, also proved very popular with the audience.
Every great Christmas concert needs a grand finale and this one was exceptional in that regard; baritone Krister St Hill was joined on stage by all the artists to wish everyone a happy Christmas by singing the Crosby classic “White Christmas”, the biggest selling Christmas song of all time.
“All the artists were in fine voice and gave their all in order to spread the Christmas mood!” said MTG's project manager Christin Hertzberg.
The Christmas concert helped raise more than 225,000 SEK for Playing for Change, the charity established by MTG and other companies within the Kinnevik Group in support of the UN Convention on Children’s Right to Play. The charity supports social entrepreneurs operating in areas where they reach the most vulnerable children in Sweden, Ghana and soon Russia. This year Playing for Change has a special focus on tolerance, respect and anti-racism.
“We are really happy about the outcome of this concert; we raised an impressive sum of money and spread some hope and joy while at the same time addressing important issues in society,” said Playing For Change PR and event manager, Åsa Hofmann. “We are absolutely delighted that MTG once again arranged the concert and supported our work with children and young people. The atmosphere in the packed church was something to treasure and carry into the Christmas celebrations!”
The edited version of the Christmas concert will be broadcast on TV3 Sweden on 23 December at 19:00 and on TV8 on 26 December at 21:00. MTG’s radio stations RIX FM and Lugna Favoriter will both broadcast the concert on Christmas Eve at 15:00.
The concert can also be viewed on the online TV3 Play service.
To find out more about Playing For Change, please visit the organisation’s website: www.playingforchange.se.