The NorrlandsOperan (literally The Norrland's Opera; NOP), is a Swedish opera company in Umeå, located in Norrland, Sweden. The ownership of NOP is divided between the Umeå Municipality (40%) and the Västerbotten County Council (60%).
NOP was established in 1974 as a regional opera ensemble. The NOP's first artistic director was Arnold Östman, from 1974 to 1979. NOP now has its own symphony orchestra and facilities for opera, dance, music and art as well as workshops and studios. NOP has four venues, with corresponding seating capacity:
NOP also houses the Vita kuben (White Cube), an exhibition space for contemporary art. In 1984, NOP took over the space of the former fire station in Umeå, which was originally built in 1937. After major renovations, the new venue opened in 2002, with a newly built theater and concert hall, combined with the old opera house. An assembly hall was subsequently constructed at the venue.
Past NOP artistic directors have included Magnus Aspegren. Past music directors have included Roy Goodman (1995-2001), Kristjan Järvi (2000-2004), and Andrea Quinn (2005-2009). The current managing director and artistic director of NOP is Kjell Englund, since August 2009.[1] As of the 2009-2010 season, NOP's music director is Rumon Gamba, with an initial contract of 3 years.[2][3]
Notable recent productions and collaborations include:
NOP also assists with other arts organisations, such as the MADE performing arts festival and the Umeå Jazz Festival. In January 2007, at the Amplified Festival, during a performance by Mando Diao, the temporary floor gave way, injuring over 25 people.
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