{{Short description|Company in Oslo, Norway}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox theatre/wikidata | name = Norwegian National Opera and Ballet | native_name = Den Norske Opera & Ballett | logo = Den Norske Opera & Ballett Logo.png | logo_alt = The logo is a diagonal black line with the name of the company above it. | image = | caption = | established = {{Start date|1957}} | type = National opera, national ballet | location = Oslo Opera House, Oslo, Norway | street_address = | coordinates = {{coord|59|54|27|N|10|45|11|E|type:landmark_region:NO|display=inline,title}} | website = {{URL|https://operaen.no}} }}
The '''Norwegian National Opera and Ballet''' ({{langx|no|'''Den Norske Opera & Ballett'''|links=no}}) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisation in the country, it is currently resident at the Oslo Opera House, since the spring of 2008.<ref>{{cite web | author=Ranghild Veire | url=http://www.nrk.no/kultur/et-vaklende-operahus-1.7559918 | title=Et vaklende operahus | work=NRK (Norwegian Radio) | date=22 March 2011 | access-date=27 December 2014 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043330/http://www.nrk.no/kultur/et-vaklende-operahus-1.7559918 | url-status=live }}</ref>
==History== Founded in 1957, the company had Kirsten Flagstad as its first general manager, from 1958 to 1960, and placed an emphasis on presenting operas and ballets written by Norwegian composers, and Norwegian as the standard language of the opera singers.<ref>Nygaard, Jan, "The Theatre System of Norway", in ''Theatre Worlds in Motion: Structures, Politics and Developments in the Countries of Western Europe'' (eds. Hans van Maanen & Stephen Wilner). Editions Rodolpi B.V. (Amsterdam, {{ISBN|90-420-0762-1}}), pp. 476–477 (1998).</ref> Subsequent general managers have included Bjørn Simensen. The Ballet School at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet was founded in 1965. In January 2009, the Norwegian Opera and Ballet was reorganized, during the tenure of Tom Remlov as general managing director. The company's current general manager is Nils Are Karstad Lysø.
In the 1980s and 1990s, ''Den Norske Opera'' campaigned for a number of years for construction of a new opera house, with preference in the Bjørvika district, a harbour area of downtown Oslo.<ref>{{cite web | author=Lotte Bichel | url=http://www.b.dk/kultur/norge-faar-operahus-og-gaar-helt-nye-veje | title=Et vaklende operahus | work=Berlingske | date=14 June 1999 | access-date=27 December 2014 | archive-date=24 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924070634/http://www.b.dk/kultur/norge-faar-operahus-og-gaar-helt-nye-veje | url-status=live }}</ref> The Oslo Opera House was opened in the spring of 2008. In 2008 Radio Marconi, an Italian company, installed a seatback multimedia system, from an idea of Geir Mortil of the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, allowing audiences to follow opera libretto in other languages in addition to the original language.
The current chief executive officer of the company is Geir Bergkastet. Past artistic directors of the opera company have included Paul Curran (2009–2011),<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2007/8/News/Stage_Director_Paul_Curran_Named_General_Manager_of_Norwegian_Opera.html | title=Stage Director Paul Curran Named General Manager of Norwegian Opera | work=Opera News | date=16 August 2007 | access-date=27 December 2014}}</ref> Anne Gjevang (as interim director),<ref>{{cite web | author=Vibeke Johnsen | url=http://www.side2.no/underholdning/operasjefen-gar-av/3165222.html | title=Operasjefen går av | work=Nettavisen | date=6 June 2011 | access-date=27 December 2014 | archive-date=20 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320080622/http://www.side2.no/underholdning/operasjefen-gar-av/3165222.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Per Boye Hansen<ref>{{cite web | author=Ranghild Veire | url=http://www.nrk.no/kultur/boye-hansen-blir-ny-operasjef-1.7808379 | title=Per Boye Hansen blir ny operasjef | work=NRK (Norwegian Radio) | date=26 September 2011 | access-date=27 December 2014 | archive-date=30 March 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330135832/http://www.nrk.no/kultur/boye-hansen-blir-ny-operasjef-1.7808379 | url-status=live }}</ref> and Annilese Miskimmon (2017–20).<ref>{{cite news|author=Lanre Bakare |date=8 October 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/08/english-national-opera-names-annilese-miskimmon-as-new-artistic-director |title=English National Opera names Annilese Miskimmon as new artistic director |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate= 29 December 2024}}</ref> Randi Stene is the current opera director of the company. The company's current director of ballet is Ingrid Lorentzen, who succeeded Espen Giljane in the post.<ref>{{cite web | author=Anders Grønneberg and Jan Thomas Holmlund | url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/09/26/kultur/per_boye_hansen/opera/festspillene_i_bergen/operasjef/18303674/ | title=Per Boye Hansen blir ny operasjef | work=Dagbladet | date=26 September 2011 | access-date=27 December 2014}}</ref> Past music directors have included John Fiore. In February 2022, the company announced the appointment of Edward Gardner as its artistic advisor, with immediate effect, and as its next music director, effective 1 August 2024.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/askonasholt-images/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/01120110/Norwegian-Opera-Ballet-Edward-Gardner-release-FINAL.pdf | title=Edward Gardner named as new Music Director of Norwegian Opera & Ballet | publisher=Norwegian National Opera and Ballet | date=1 February 2022 | access-date=3 February 2022 | archive-date=4 February 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204162053/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/askonasholt-images/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/01120110/Norwegian-Opera-Ballet-Edward-Gardner-release-FINAL.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==See also== *Henny Mürer *Radio Marconi
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://operaen.no/ Norwegian National Opera and Ballet website] {{in lang|no}} * [http://operaen.no/en/ Norwegian National Opera and Ballet website] {{in lang|en}}
{{Ballet companies}}
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Category:1957 establishments in Norway Category:Musical groups established in 1957 Category:Music of Norway Category:Norwegian opera companies Category:Culture in Oslo Category:Musical groups from Oslo