gunhild carling tenerife concert july 2026

Swing queen Gunhild Carling to make Tenerife debut this week

Swing sensation to perform for first time in Tenerife

Gunhild Carling is a Swedish singer, tap dancer and multi-instrumentalist. Widely regarded as the international ambassador of swing music, she combines this status with a unique charisma that has earned her enormous popularity on social media. The versatile artist will land in Tenerife for the first time this Thursday, 16 July, to present La Reina del Swing (The Queen of Swing), a show she will share with the Gran Canaria Big Band at the Auditorio Infanta Leonor in Arona. The performance promises a journey from the cabarets of the 1920s to the great swing orchestras of the 1940s, starting at 8.30pm.

Over 50 million views and a dream come true

With more than 50 million views on social media and a career that has made her one of the leading promoters of traditional jazz, Carling does not hide her excitement about this debut on the island. “It will be a dream. I have heard wonderful things about Tenerife and I am really looking forward to getting to know it. I even want to do a live broadcast at dawn,” she says with a laugh.

A mix of classics and original compositions

Her enthusiasm for the trip matches the passion she conveys when talking about the repertoire. The concert will combine timeless classics by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie with her own compositions. “The audience will find a blend of great classics and original pieces,” sums up an artist who turns every performance into an exercise in improvisation and virtuosity. Carling naturally embraces the nickname that also gives its title to the musical piece she will perform this week in Arona. For her, this genre has never stopped being alive. “I think classic jazz is the greatest musical invention of the 20th century. I love it and I love performing it for people and making them happy,” she states.

Improvising with instruments and audience

That spirit explains her approach to concerts, which goes far beyond mere performance. On stage she sings, dances and constantly switches instruments: trombone, trumpet, recorder, bagpipes, harmonica, drums or piano. However, there is no rigid script when choosing an instrument. “I decide on the spot. I play or sing whatever makes me happy in that moment. Inspiration is the most important thing,” she assures. Improvisation also defines her relationship with the audience. “I want to feel a connection between the band, the audience and me even before we start playing. The simplest way to achieve this is to give 130 per cent to the music and the sound. Both musicians and spectators feel enormous respect for someone who truly loves music.”

A circus upbringing shapes the artist

Raised in a family of musicians linked to the circus world, Carling understands performance as a sum of talents. This artistic upbringing, where music coexisted with entertainment and stagecraft, still marks her way of performing. “I like all cultures. We all need each other: composers, arrangers, artists, musicians, organisers, audiences, dancers… We are all part of the same thing,” she explains. That vision precisely matches the spirit of La Reina del Swing, a production in which she will be accompanied by the Gran Canaria Big Band, a national benchmark in this style directed by Chano Gil. This musical project transforms the stage into a grand cabaret inspired by the first half of the 20th century, combining live music, dance and improvisation to recreate the evolution of jazz and swing.

Sold-out show arrives in Tenerife

The Gran Canaria Big Band once again acts as host for a production that already sold out at the Teatro Cuyás and now lands for the first time in Tenerife. “I had a wonderful time. It was a fantastic experience. The band is truly extraordinary,” the performer recalls of her experience with the musical ensemble directed by Gil.

Swing belongs to the present, not just the past

Finally, although the show looks back at the golden age of swing, the artist rejects any nostalgic reading. For her, jazz belongs as much to the present as to the past. “The golden age of jazz was wonderful, but it is also fantastic that today we can recover that music and bring it back to life. That is incredible. I believe the best moment is the present, and it is up to us, the artists, to make the world a more beautiful and interesting place.”

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