Nordic Orchestra Conference 2026

We are pleased to welcome you to the Nordic Orchestra Conference 2026, which is hosted by Kilden Performing Arts Centre and the Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras (NTO), in collaboration with the Nordic Planning Committee.

The Nordic Orchestra Conference (NOC) has a long tradition as an important meeting place where managing and artistic directors of the Nordic music and opera institutions have established contacts, strengthened connections and exchanged valuable experiences and knowledge.

With this year’s conference we aim to combine inspiration and new perspectives with ideas, and knowledge that participants can take back to their own organisations. The programme is developed around the following three themes:

• The Nordic Region Today
• Programming, Public Responsibility and Institutional Resilience
• Inclusion, Diversity and Mental Health

Practical information:

Time: Wednesday 23rd – Friday 25^th September 2026, lunch-to-lunch
Place: Kilden Performing Arts Center, Kristiansand, Norway

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION by September 9
Fee: 580 EUR
Early Bird Fee: 495 EUR (deadline: May 29)

Hotel: Rooms have been reserved at Clarion Hotel Ernst.
Book your room here by August 23 to receive the conference rate of NOK 997 per night. Rooms are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Themes

The Nordic Region Today

What does it mean to be “Nordic” today — artistically, politically and institutionally — and how does this identity affect the strategic role of orchestras in the society?

Programming, Public Responsibility and Institutional Resilience

How do music institutions interpret their role and mandate in society, and how is this reflected in programming, partnerships and public engagement? Can artistic programming contribute to civic resilience, and how is this realised in practice?

Inclusion, Diversity and Mental Health
Building on the Nordic context and Kilden’s recognised expertise, this track explores how strategic work in inclusion, diversity, co-creation and mental health can position orchestras as proactive and relevant institutions in a changing society.

Programme

Wednesday 23rd of September

11:00-12:00 Registration and coffee

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-13:15 Welcome
Pål Svendsberget, Managing Director, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra

Morten Gjelten, Managing Director, Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras

13:15-16:30 The Nordic region today

• 13:15-13:45 Culture shapes the future of the Nordics:
  Kristin Danielsen, Chief Executive, The Nordic Culture Fund

Presentation of this year’s collaborative project between Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Kunstsilo. The session begins in the concert hall and concludes in the S-lab at Kunstsilo.

15:30-17:00 Inclusion, diversity and mental health

• 15:30-16:05 Kilden Dialogue: The Concert Hall as an Extended Therapeutic Space:
  • Marie T. Sørensen, Head of Communications, Kilden and Iris Anette Olsen, Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ABUP), Sørlandet Hospital:
    The collaboration between Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Sørlandet Hospital
    
  • Audhild Wessman, Senior advisor, Kilden:
    Requiem for Life: How Mozart’s iconic Requiem became a voice for young people’s mental well-being.
  • Eva Mari Andreassen, Head of Research, Kilden:
    How participation in cultural projects can support young people’s mental health.
    
• 16:05-16:30 Case studies from Nordic countries
  • KulturKRAFT: Nord: Andreas Mathew and Per Thorgaard:
    How the Aalborg-based foundation works to integrate art and culture into healthcare. The foundation builds collaborations between artists, researchers and health professionals to strengthen patient experience, wellbeing and aesthetic care in hospital settings.
    
  • Geraldine (Geri) McDonald, Associate Professor and Director of Patient Experience & Wellbeing, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia:
    Patient experience, integrative oncology and wellbeing in cancer care.
    
• 16:30-17:00 «Market place» and mingling
  Meet the presenters, explore their work in more detail and continue the conversations from the afternoon’s sessions.

17:00-17:30 Kilden’s Digital Initiative - Tour and presentation
Øystein Nerland Flemmen, Producer and David Holme, Media Producer, Kilden
Presentation in the concert hall of the technical work related to Nordic Art Symphony. This will be followed by an introduction to Kilden Digital and its work with care centres, as well as a tour of the studio.

19:00 Aperitif

19:30 Conference dinner, Frihavn Restaurant, Kilden

Thursday 24th of September

08:30-09:00 Coffee

09:00-12:00 The Voice of the Art Institution

• 09:00-09:30 The role of orchestras in war and peace: Music as Preparedness
  Johan Rørvik, Garrison Major, Akershus Fortress, Norwegian Armed Forces
• 09:30-10:00 Programming, Public Responsibility and Institutional Resilience
  Keynote by Jesus Herrera, artistic director London Philharmonic Orchestra
• 10:00-10:10 Response from Ragnar Christensen, CEO Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
• 10:10-10:30 Break
• 10:30-11:30 Group work followed by plenary session

10.30-11.30 Parallel session: communications

11:30-12:30 Lunch

12:30-14:15 Reframing Nordic Identity

From Words to Action – Reconciliation Work in the Nordic Region:

• 12:30-13:00 Frank Jørstad, artistic and managing director, Kvääniteatteri
• 13:00-13:30 Trud Berg, CEO, Arctic Philharmonic + with additional speaker TBA
• 13:30-14:15 Panel Discussion: Nordic Perspectives
  Frank Jørstad, Trud Berg + panelist TBA
  
  

14:15-14:40 Break

14:40-14:55 Artistic interlude

14:55-15.20 The Voice of the Art Institution - Part 2

Institutions in Changing Times
Marte Cecilie Wilhelmsen Solheim, Vice-Rector for Innovation and
Society, University of Stavanger

15:20-15:30 Pretalk
Pål Svendsberget, Managing Director, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra

17:30-19:30 Dinner, Hos Moi

Kl. 20.00 Concert: Still life - A Nordic Art Symphony Project
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, conductor,
Mari Eriksmoen, soprano

Friday 25th of September

09:30-10:00 Coffee

10:00-12:00 The Nordic region today: Collaboration and communication

• 10:00-10:05 Branding film from the Norwegian orchestra network for marketing and communications
  Pål Svendsberget
• 10:05-10:35 Group work: Collaboration between institutions – Who loses and who wins?
  Using reflection starters from the reflection booklet. We collect data from various ticketing systems for co-productions and present our findings.
• 10:35-11:00 Collaboration or competition?
  Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Artistic Director of Bergen National Opera
• 11:00-11:30 Collaboration in the Nordic Region, examples
• 11:30-12:00 Panel Discussion: Nordic Perspectives on Collaboration
  What are the benefits, what are the challenges, and what are the criteria for success?

12:00-13:00 Lunch