Benny Anderssons Orkester

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Benny Anderssons Orkester (BAO) is a Swedish band, with Benny Andersson as musical leader and composer. The band was formed in mid 2001 by 16 people, some from Orsa Spelmän, and Helen Sjöholm and since 2006 Tommy Körberg as singer.

The name literally means Benny Andersson's Orchestra.

[edit] Members

BAO includes some of Swedens most experienced contemporary and folk musicians:

Benny Andersson - accordion, piano, synclavier etc.
Göran Arnberg - pipe organ, spinet
Janne Bengtson - flute, piccolo, crumhorn, baritone saxophone
Pär Grebacken - saxophones, clarinet, recorder, piccolo
Leif Göras - violin, cello, mandolin
Nicke (Nils-Erik) Göthe - violin, mandolin
Jogga (Jan-Anders) Ernlund - contrabass
Calle Jocobsson - tuba, bassoon
Leffe Lindvall - trumpet, cornet
Kalle Moraeus - violin, zither, guitar, banjo mm.
Olle Moraeus - violin, viola, mandolin
Perra (Per-Erik) Moraeus - violin, mandolin, saxophone
Lars Rudolfsson - accordion
Jörgen Stenberg - drums, percussion instruments
Helen Sjöholm - originally chosen as a backup singer, but is now also considered a permanent member of the band.

All members of the band are occupied in external capacities during the majority of the year, some in the theater orchestras in Stockholm. The brothers Moraeus, Leif Göras and Nicke Göthe play together in Orsa Spelmän. During the summers the members of BAO meet up and rehearse, and then go out on mini-tours, to which tickets are highly sought after. The concept of these tours are “A concert with dance,” therefore a dance floor is brought along. Tommy Körberg and Helen Sjöholm together perform the vocals for the non-instrumental songs.