ABBA The Museum Press Release - Choir Performance

ABBA The Museum celebrates the 40th anniversary of ABBA's international breakthrough. A day for fans and family!

Press Release • Feb 18, 2014 13:16 GMT

ABBA The Museum celebrates the 40th anniversary of ABBA’s international breakthrough in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. The museum invites the whole family to take part in new exhibits and experience a special tribute to ABBA fans through the premier performance of the museum's own choir: ABBA The Museum/The Choir.

On Sunday, April 6 - the day on which, 40 years ago, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton - the museum will offer various activities for children and adults, but especially for ABBA fans. In addition to the exhibition and all of the interactive installations where visitors can go up and sing with the band members or virtually try on their stage costumes, the museum will also present some new ways to celebrate ABBA's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo:

“We have new exhibits to unveil concerning Waterloothat I personally am very happy about,” says the museum’s curator Ingmarie Halling. “For example, we have a Viewmaster containing images from Brighton in 1974. As you click through the images you will listen to Benny Andersson read from the diary entry he wrote on that day in Brighton. We will even have brand new articles on display for the first time, like the silvery black platform shoes that Benny was wearing when ABBA won the Swedish Melodifestivalen with Waterloo.”

Visitors will also have the possibility, with the help of professionals, to crochet their own ABBA cap like the one worn by Agnetha Fältskog on that day in Brighton in 1974.

Guitar builder Göran Malmberg built the famous star-shaped guitar that Björn Ulvaeus used during the performance in Brighton in 1974. On Saturday, the museum has invited Göran to hold a master class in how to build a guitar. The museum is also offering an opportunity for those interested to order an exact replica of Björn’s “star” guitar. The star guitar is being produced in a limited edition under the supervision of Göran Malmberg and signed by both him and Björn Ulvaeus.

“Björn’s star guitar is a hallmark of Waterlooand an important symbol of the pop sensation, ABBA. We are extremely proud that the builder of that guitar will be on the premises. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to place dibs on your own numbered, limited edition copy of the star guitar - a memory for life,” says Mattias Hansson, CEO ABBA The Museum.

Just in time for the anniversary, Björn Ulvaeus has written a pop-saga: it is the tale of four young artists who became two couples in love, formed a pop band called ABBA and created music that touched the whole world. The story, which is aimed at children but even adults can appreciate, is illustrated by Ola Skogäng. The illustrations are filmed with Björn himself playing the role of the narrator and will premier at the museum on April 6.

The premier of the museum's own choir will also take place on April 6 when the singers will perform a special concert for the first time, under the direction of Karin Bäckström from Adolf Fredrik's Music School. The choir will sing several of ABBA's greatest hits such as Waterloo,Thank You For The Music and Chiquitita. The songs will be presented with newly composed choral arrangements by Göran Arnberg. Göran has worked for many years as Benny Andersson’s musical notator and arranger and is a member of the BAO (Benny Andersson’s Orchestra).

“Since we are not going to reunite for the 40th anniversary, I thought a choir singing ABBA would be exciting,” says Björn Ulvaeus. “A really good choir singing songs that Benny and I have written is a dream for us as authors.”

Choir singers from Sweden and all over the world have applied for the sought-after choir positions. Interest has been great, with applications coming in from over 50 countries.

The winner of the global competition; The Missing Member in which one international chorist could win a place in the choir and get the trip to Stockholm for free, was concluded recently. Ms Grace McCullum from Australia was selected the happy winner with the motivation; “ABBA has always held a very special place in Australians hearts, and I know I can bring passion all the way from Australia to ABBA The Museum/The Choir”. For the jubilee Grace is flown in from Hobart, Australia to participate in the performance.

Mattias Hansson adds:

“The story of ABBA is a story that touches the whole world. So it feels natural to allow people from all corners of the world to share their personal memories of ABBA and the songs. With the help of our competition The Missing Member, we are collecting stories through social media and these fascinating accounts will then form the framework for the choir's performance.”

To be guaranteed a spot at the choir's performance, visitors are adviced to have an admission ticket to the museum on April 6th between the hours of 10:00 and 14:00. For anyone who does not have a ticket for April 6th, entrance will be subject to availability. The choir will appear at 3 pm. Tickets are available at the museum at Djurgårdsvägen 68; on the museum's website,www.abbathemuseum.com; and through the museum's ticket partner, SJ, www.sj.se/abbathemuseum

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/abba-the-museum/pressreleases/abba-the-museum-celebrates-the-40th-anniversary-of-abba-s-international-breakthrough-a-day-for-fans-and-family-962416?utm_source=channel&utm_medium&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_content

 

New ABBA Collection Items - From ABBA The Museum

Some great new merchandise from ABBA The Museum.
Cat Keyrings
Cat Mugs
Before ABBA CD

ABBA The Museum Choir Update

Our ABBA The Museum/The Choir is finally put together, and it sounds fantastic! – But we are still looking for our missing international member. Could it be you that we are looking for? Or maybe a friend of yours? Don't forget to register o...n our website before the 7th of february!

The winner of the auditions to the "Missing Member" gets to perform with the ABBA The Museum/The Choir in Stockholm 4-6th of April. He or she will receive a free travel to/from Stockholm, as well as a stay at the four-star boutique hotel Melody Hotel, located in the same building as ABBA The Museum. As icing on the cake the "Missing Member" will be coached remotely by Choir Director Karin Bäckström! Read more and apply here http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/thechoir

Thank you for the music!

 

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/AbbaTheMuseum

Watch a short clip of the choir here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0BIUrX90Yo&list=PLOljPiNfQ36P7JRqmxCGrBxS8siucv2EC&index=24


 

 

 

 

The Little White Piano by Bjorn Ulvaeus - New Cover & Competition !

The Little White Piano is a children’s book, for children from 7 years of age, written by Björn Ulvaeus and beautifully illustrated by Maja Lindberg. This charming and enthralling book tells the story of the piano which many of ABBA’s greatest hits were composed on. The story begins as a beautiful vase is brought to an old cottage, at Viggsö, in the Swedish archipelago. The vase starts to talk to the other furnitures in the cottage and soon starts to wonder why the piano, half-hidden in a corner, is so quiet. This prompts the old folding table to tell the tragic tale of the pretty little piano. A white mouse, never far from its beloved piano, reflects the instrument’s joy and sadness as the story progresses. And what fairytale doesn’t have a happy ending?
The book is perfect as a memorable gift. The book is available in several languages; English, German, Russian, Finnish and Swedish.
Only sold here at ABBA The museum and at our webshop.

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

We have a "The Little White Piano" giveaway! Björn Ulvaeus has signed a few editions of his new children's book "The Little White Piano", and of course we want our most dedicated fans to have them!

The book is available in five languages and we have one copy of the book as well as one signed A3 poster in each language to give away. Today we start with the english book. To win simply write why you love ABBA in the comments field below!

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/photo.php?fbid=533827196730535&set=a.305998706180053.72299.247052962074628&type=1&theater

The winner will be picked out randomly and then messaged. The giveaway goes on for 24 hours. You can also buy the unsigned book at ABBA The Museum in Stockholm and in our webshop http://www.abbathemuseum.com/se/shop Good luck! #abbathemuseum #giveaway

 

 

 

 

New ABBA The Museum Shop Items - Keyrings

Grab yourself a couple of these fabulous cat keyrings from ABBA The Museum Shop now !
Only around $13.00AU each and postage is very reasonable.
Designed by Owe Sandstrom for the Museum along with the gorgeous mugs.

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

ABBA The Museum Photo Exhibition Sweden

New photo exhibition at Arlanda Airport, our official airport. If you are lucky to travel to Stockholm Arlanda with Finnair, KLM, Air France, British Airways, Air Berlin you will have the opportunity to see our new mini exhibition ABBA The Museum at Terminal 2. It is about ABBA on tour and their breakthrough with Waterloo in Brighton, 1974. Keep your eyes open, there will be possibilities to win tickets to the museum on Arlanda Airport.

 

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be In The ABBA The Museum Choir In April 2014 !

In April it is 40 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with ” Waterloo” .
But does a reunion sound possible – now starts an Abba- choir instead.
- It’s a complete impossibility that we will be reunited so then they thought that ” oh, let’s do a choir instead ,” says Björn Ulvaeus .
A potential reunion of Abba is a constant talking point .
Now that the next year is 40 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with ” Waterloo” is speculated something will happen more than ever.
Especially after Agnetha Fältskog , 63, in an interview with a German newspaper has opened up an opportunity :
- Obviously, something we think about, ‘she said.
” A complete impossibility”
But now Björn Ulvaeus puts down his foot once and for all .
Instead, he is committed to an Abba- choir which will now be formed along with the Abba Museum and Aftonbladet.
- Because it’s a complete impossibility that we will be reunited so they thought ” oh, let’s do a choir instead .” And now it’s on time , he says to Aftonbladet .
” Egoistic reasons”
Choir’s & Singers from across the country can apply for a place in the choir , which will consist of 50 people. For Abba , it feels like a celebration .
- It feels great , to hear what you have written , sung by a great choir, it is wonderful for an author , so there’s a little selfish reasons there too, I want to hear it .
How does it feel to hear his work being sung by a choir ?
- There is a difference when you hear a choir sing anything other than a soloist , it raises some other emotions. And we’ll choose songs from the catalog to be fit for a choir , so you may perhaps hear the songs in a different way . It is always exciting , he says. And a possible Album?

One International fan will be chosen to be in the choir !

We are looking for one (1) international chorister for the 50-member ABBA The Museum – The Choir.
Casting begins December 14th and runs until February 7. At that time we will select five finalists. Between February 8th and February 20th, these five finalists will compete for first prize. The competition will take place on the museum's Facebook page and the winner - The Missing Member - will be announced on the 21st of February. The winner of the only international place in ABBA The Museum/The Choir will travel to and from Stockholm for the performance on April 4-6 and will stay all four nights at Melody Hotel, the four-star boutique hotel located in the same building as ABBA The Museum, www.melody.se/en/.

The choir's international member will be coached remotely by Choir Director Karin Bäckström. The singer will keep a video diary and monitor his or her progress in choral training. ABBA The Museum will cover airfare and hotel accommodation for the person who is The Missing Member (ie. our international choir member).

Record a 30-second video in which you sing the refrain to “Thank You For The Music”. You have to sing all by yourself, without accompaniment. Then upload the video via the form on this page. Submit your film by February 7th.

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/thechoir

Check out some of the entries so far:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/AbbaTheMuseum

ABBA - Frida & Agnetha Cat Mugs Now Available !

FINALLY! - READY TO BUY. Now these beautiful cat coffee mugs are available in our webshop and our shop at the museum.

Buy them now at http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

Cost is 155 SEK each - about $27.00 AUD

Nice to know; last week, one Yellow Cat mug was delivered to Frida and one Blue Cat mug was delivered to Agnetha. They were delighted!

 

New ABBA Item - Cat Mugs

These fabulous cat mugs will soon be available in ABBA The Museum Webshop. Designed by Owe Sandstrom.

They are going to be doing T-shirts with these images also !

Check out the webshop now:

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

 

ABBA The Museum Ring Ring POP TALKS #1

On the 13th of October ABBA The Museum held our first POP TALKS. Here is a clip from POP TALKS #1. With Mattias Hansson, Mia Segolsson, Carl-Magnus Palm, Janne Schaffer, Claes af Geijerstam and Owe Sandström.

Watch the video on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5maNXUYWsIw?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=GAUEHOLDfgv2k0jcrVvzKA

ABBA The Museum Holiday Workshops

School autumn holiday at ABBA The Museum next week! No admission fee.

ABBA The Museum invites youth to write and perform their own songs! We will hold free student workshops during the autumn school holiday to inspire children to experiment with and create music in the spirit of the iconic Swedish pop group, ABBA.

The workshops will be led by Swedish TV personalities Rijal and Saleh Mbamba, two brothers who are also the driving forces behind a Helsingborg-based creative collective called S.T.I.C.S. Rijal is a well-known face to Swedish children due to his role as a TV presenter on Swedish Television’s Summer Break show.

“The passion of S.T.I.C.S. to encourage children to combine poetry and music in new creative ways fits perfectly with the spirit of our museum,” says Mattias Hansson, Director of ABBA the Museum. “We are very excited to be hosting these creative workshops and believe that great and surprising things can happen.”

Autumn school holiday 
 

The workshops will be led by Swedish TV personalities Rijal and Saleh Mbamba, two brothers who are also the driving forces behind a Helsingborg-based creative collective called S.T.I.C.S.

Rhythm is everywhere
The first workshop, which is designed for children between the ages of 7-10 years, will explore how to create your own songs and express them in a personal way. The focus of this workshop is on teaching children how to combine words and rhythms.

Workshop 1: Find your own rhythm!
Age group: Children ages 7 to 10 years
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Dates: Wednesday, Oct. 30th – Friday, November 1^st
Admission: Free with ticket
Rhythm is everywhere: in nature, in music and in yourself. As part of Workshop 1, students will listen to rhythmic parts of ABBA's musical repertoire in order to develop their own musical ear and to feel music in a completely new way.

Learning the art of songwriting
The second workshop is designed to provide children aged 11 to 15 with a basic understanding of how to write and perform songs. Not always as easy as it looks, songwriting can be done in many different ways. Where do you start? How should the song end? How do you create the right music for the refrain? How do you perform a song while standing in front of an audience?


Workshop 2: The art of writing and performing
Age group: Children ages 11 to 15 years
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Dates: Wednesday, Oct. 30th – Friday, November 1^st
Admission: Free with ticket

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/calendar

 

ABBA The Museum Pop Talks #1 Ring Ring - Photos

ABBA The Museum - Pop Talks #1 - Ring Ring
13th October 2013

Special guests include Mia Segolsson, Janne Schaffer (guitarist), Owe Sandström (costume designer), Claes af Geijerstam (Tour sound engineer).
Interview conducted by Mattias Hansson.

ABBA Ring Ring Turns 40 ! The Museum Celebrates

 

Press release 4th October

 

Ring Ring turns 40 –
ABBA The Museum celebrates with Pop Talks!

 

Monday 14th October is the release date for Ring Ring Deluxe Edition, and ABBA The Museum will celebrate with its first Pop Talks on Sunday 13th October.

The museum will feature specially invited guests such as Janne Schaffer, Owe Sandström, Claes af Geijerstam and Carl Magnus Palm, with ABBA The Museum CEO Mattias Hansson as moderator.

To really get to know how Ring Ring was created in 1973, on the Sunday, the museum has invited guests with a strong connection to the Ring Ring album. Visitors at the museum are welcome to attend. Mattias Hansson will talk to Owe Sandström, Janne Schaffer and Claes af Geijerstam (Clabbe) about the popular culture of 1973 and what the Swedish music business was like; the guests will share their memories from that time.

Owe Sandström designed many of ABBA’s stage costumes, among them the costumes worn in the ‘Ring Ring’ video. Janne Schaffer played the guitar on the Ring Ring album, and Clabbe won Melodifestivalen (the Swedish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest) in 1973 with the song ‘You Are Summer – You Never Tell Me No’, together with Göran Fristorp. That year, ABBA’s entry, ‘Ring Ring’, ended up in third place. Later, Clabbe was the sound engineer on ABBA’s world tours.
During Sunday 13th October, Carl Magnus Palm will also be interviewed by Mattias Hansson. Carl Magnus Palm is an author and journalist, and has conducted research on ABBA for 20 years. He has contributed his knowledge about ABBA to Polar Music as well as ABBA The Museum. In the interview he will talk about Swedish popular music in the early Seventies, ABBA’s emerging breakthrough, and their legendary, multi-layered. Pop Talks are held in Swedish.
ABBA The Museum also welcomes, as a special guest, Mia Segolsson, General Manager of Polar Music International, who will tell us how the new album Ring Ring Deluxe Edition was put together. During the weekend there will also be an opportunity to hear the album and to buy it in advance of its release date of 14th October.

Pop Talks starts at 15.00 and ends at 17.00. Together with a museum ticket, valid on

Sunday 13th October, admission to Pop Talks is free. The museum ticket may be

bought at abbathemuseum.com or at the museum ticket counter. The Pop Talks ticket

will be available at the museum on Djurgårdsvägen 68 from Wednesday 9th October

at 12.00. Please note that the number of seats is extremely limited.

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/

 

ABBA The Museum Web Shop Now Open !

Grab some nice items from the ABBA Museum web shop now !

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

Benny Andersson Visits ABBA The Museum

Benny visited ABBA The Museum today with friends from Eric Sahlströms Minnesfond.

Vote For ABBA The Museum Now !

ABBA The Museum have been nominated for being the best attraction in Sweden! We are really happy and proud. You can vote for us at:

http://polldaddy.aftonbladet.se/bästa-upplevelsen-sverige-2013

And read about the contest here:
www.aftonbladet.se/resa/sommarsverige/article17219939.ab

 

Agnetha Signs Guestbook At ABBA The Museum

See what Agnetha wrote in the guestbook at ABBA The Museum in Sweden during her recent visit.
I love what she writes to 'the rest of you' - very touching :)



Agnetha Faltskog Visits ABBA The Museum !

Here is a fabulous picture of Agnetha visiting ABBA The Museum very recently.
Nice to know she is interested :)

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/AbbaTheMuseum



ABBA The Museum Sweden - Two NBC Video Reports

Two NBC reports on the opening of ABBA The Museum in Sweden.

With thanks to Kaarin Goodburn for sharing the links and to Steve Layton for putting them together on youtube :)

ABBA The Museum Sweden - Doors Open To The Public !

The first pics of the day :)

Just minutes before the doors opened !

Bjorn and Loreen open the doors

The first public visitors !