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Media contact: Laura-Anne Scherer 604.684.9100 x266 laura-anne@vancouversymphony.ca

For Immediate Release September 04, 2012 MEDIA RELEASE

Arrival from Sweden performs the music of ABBA, live with the VSO!

Vancouver, BC – After a sold-out show in January of 2011, Arrival from Sweden, the most authentic

ABBA tribute, returns to perform with the VSO and Assistant Conductor Gordon Gerrard at 8pm on

Monday, September 24, 2012 at the Orpheum.

Bringing ABBA’s music back to life, Arrival’s performance of hits such as Dancing Queen, Money, money,

money, and Waterloo will make you believe it’s really ABBA on stage.

Founded in 1995 by Victoria Norback, who performs the part of Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, Arrival From

Sweden has become one of the world's most popular and best selling ABBA tributes. The only tribute

show with the approval of original ABBA members, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Arrival seeks to

stay authentic. They have exclusive rights to the ABBA name, costumes, and original music, and the

group also includes original ABBA band members Finn Sjöberg on guitar and Roger Palm on drums.

As the largest touring ABBA tribute band in the world, Arrival from Sweden has performed in over thirty-

five countries including Canada, USA, UK, Australia, France, Holland, Sweden, Vietnam, and China.

This performance includes songs such as Mamma Mia, Knowing Me Knowing You, The Winner Takes It

All, Honey Honey, Super Trouper, Take A Chance, Fernando, SOS, Lay All Your Love On Me, and many

more hits.

CONCERT INFO Arrival from Sweden: the Music of ABBA Monday, September 24, 8pm, Orpheum Gordon Gerrard, conductor Arrival from Sweden www.themusicofabba.com TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets: $35- $65 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available) Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

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BIOGRAPHIES Gordon Gerrard conductor Gordon Gerrard has established a unique place in the new generation of Canadian musicians as one of its fastest rising stars. Trained first as a pianist and subsequently as a specialist in operatic repertoire, Gordon brings a fresh perspective to the podium. His passion and his dedication to producing thrilling musical experiences have endeared him to his fellow musicians and the public alike. It is Gordon’s work in opera that has made him a recognized figure across the country. For four seasons, he held the positions of Resident Conductor and Repetiteur for Calgary Opera. He conducted seven productions while in residence in Calgary, including the Canadian premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, which was recorded for national broadcast on CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. In 2012, Gordon conducted Calgary Opera’s highly successful La Bohème, a production chosen specifically to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. During his tenure at Calgary Opera, Gordon was honoured with the Mayor’s Award for Emerging Artists for his contribution to the musical life of the city of Calgary. Gordon has also conducted two productions for Opera Hamilton to critical acclaim. He was Assistant Conductor for productions of Otello, Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro at Opera Lyra Ottawa and was Repetiteur for Vancouver Opera from 2004 to 2006. A passionate and gifted educator, Gordon has been engaged as a conductor and lecturer by many institutions, including McGill University, the University of Manitoba and Iowa State University. In 2012, Gordon conducted a production of Don Giovanni for Opera McGill. He has served as conductor for Opera Nuova (Edmonton) for the past ten years, and on the music staffs of the Opera as Theatre Programme at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (Montreal), Halifax Summer Opera Workshop and the Undergraduate Opera Studio at the Manhattan School of Music. He is a regular vocal coach for Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program and l’Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier Lyrique. As a pianist, Gordon is a respected recital partner. After completing his studies at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, Gordon presented many recitals throughout New York City. In 2009, he was invited to participate in the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in London, and later that year he was engaged to present a recital with soprano Jane Eaglen for the Edmonton Recital Society. Gordon is delighted to begin work with Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor.

Arrival From Sweden ABBA is Sweden’s biggest music export ever, with 370 million records sold. The musical and movie "Mamma Mia" is a world hit sensation. Playstation’s ABBA sing-star is a great success and there are plans to open "ABBA The Museum" in Sweden. ABBA is the greatest pop group of all, only comparable to Elvis and The Beatles. ABBA started in 1971 and ended as a group in 1982, and their legacy will live forever. The music, the passion and happiness

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will continue through their fantastic music, from generation to generation. ABBA is and will always be loved by the whole world. Arrival From Sweden was founded by Vicky Zetterberg in 1995, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Arrival From Sweden soon became the world's most popular and top-selling ABBA show band, and since the start in 1995, the band has toured over 35 nations and appeared in several TV and radio shows all over the world. Arrival From Sweden is the world’s greatest ABBA tribute show and "THE MUSIC OF ABBA" tours the world together with original ABBA musicians. This production is the closest you ever will get to see ABBA! Arrival From Sweden is the only group with the exclusive rights to copy ABBA's original outfits, and the only group with exclusive permission to use the ABBA trademark their production name ABBASOLUTELY.

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