The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet (in Norwegian, Den Norske Opera & Ballett) is the first fully professional company for opera and ballet in Norway. Its seat is the Oslo Opera House.
It was founded in 1957. Kirsten Flagstad, the great Norwegian soprano, was its general manager from 1958 to 1960.
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For most of the 20th century fierce debate has raged in the Norwegian public sphere about the possible construction of a new opera house. When a construction project finally was agreed upon, the site that was chosen was Bjørvika, an harbour area of downtown Oslo. The Oslo Opera House was opened in the spring of 2008.
In January 2009, the Norwegian Opera and Ballet was reorganised. Tom Remlov is General Managing Director, and there are directors for opera, ballet and music. The director of the opera company was Glasgow-born Paul Curran[1]. He resigned in June 2011 under pressure for not commissioning enough work from Norwegian composers[2]. Music Director (opera, orchestra and concert) is the American conductor John Fiore.
The Ballet School at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet was founded in 1965 and has for years been the leading school for training in classical ballet in Norway.
It is the National Ballet's own school, and the aim is to give children a thorough and extensive training in classical ballet, and to follow up the National Ballet's great development in recent years. It will be done through a service that maintains a very high level in an international context.
The Ballet School at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet profess not to a particular educational system. Students are taught by a unique team of international ballet teachers with broad and varied background. This gives students a broad stylistic experience base to build on the combination of pure classical technique and versatility as the National Ballet demonstrate and demand.
Important is also the good results of our current and former students in recent years has been the national EBU competitions and the annual Nordic-Baltic Ballet Competition in Sweden and not least in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. These are clear signs that the concerted effort over the years have yielded results, so they are now equal with the balleteducation in the other Nordic capitals, and that they are in position to climb further.
In addition to regular classes,students from the school participate in several of the National Ballet's performances. In The Nutcracker up to 70 children and adolescents participate. This great Christmas idea is thus one of the year's highlights. Another is of course the school's own student performance that is held each year during the spring term.