Abba Voyage concerts can be deafening enough. But when the real-life Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made an appearance in the hall, which was packed with hundreds of schoolchildren, even the security staff present were surprised by the din.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, at the custom-built Abba Arena in east London<\/a>, the virtual concert residency launched its expanded education programme which aims to support young people across the area to get into the creative industries.<\/p>\n The new initiatives include an autumn school programme and a mentoring scheme. The programme also aims to offer apprenticeship opportunities within local entertainment venues, many of which relocated to or expanded in Stratford after the area\u2019s regeneration for the 2012 Olympics.<\/p>\n For the launch event, Abba Voyage invited several local schools to enjoy the live concert experience. Earplugs were supplied for free before the event, more so to protect ears from the young attenders\u2019 screams than the concert acoustics.<\/p>\n Unlike most school trips, there were no pleas to sit still and be quiet. Teachers were instead encouraging students out of their seats, bouncing and singing along themselves. Children soon began swinging their hi-vis jackets over their heads, belting along to perennial hits such as Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! and SOS, which have enjoyed new virality<\/a> on TikTok.<\/p>\n At the end of the performance, Andersson and Lyngstad made a surprise appearance, leading a rendition of Thank You for the Music before meeting some of the children.<\/p>\n The Abba Voyage virtual concert stars de-aged holograms of the Swedish pop band\u2019s members. Photograph: Johan Persson\/Abba Voyage\/PA<\/p>\n Speaking after the concert, Andersson, 79, reflected on the patience needed for songwriting: \u201cTo write a bad song is easy, to write a good song, you need to sit down there for hours and days and weeks before something might pop up.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that he still sits at the piano every day to try to write music: \u201cSometimes things come out, the dragon comes out of the cave, but very rarely nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if the four members of the band were still friends, Lyngstad said: \u201cWe\u2019re always friends, even if we live in different countries.\u201d<\/p>\n The initiatives aim to connect young east Londoners with arts and entertainment companies and venues. The programme could \u201ctransform early inspiration into tangible career pathways\u201d, said Shazia Hussain, the CEO of the London Legacy Development Corporation, who worked with Abba Voyage to develop the new programme.<\/p>\n Craig Hartenstine, the CEO for Abba Voyage, said the programme aimed to help young people \u201cbuild the skills and confidence that can lead to real opportunities in the future\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe\u2019re proud of what has already been achieved alongside our partners, and excited to deepen that impact through new mentoring, training and employment pathways in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n