In English

On a historical fortress in Halden, Norway…

The history of Opera Østfold began in the year 2000, when Østfold county council chose Fredriksten fortress, Halden’s iconic military base built in the 1600s, as its main venue for marking the new millennium. This became the starting point for transforming the fortress from a former military stronghold into a national and international cultural venue.

From 2000 to 2005, multiple cultural, educational and historical projects took place on the fortress, and in the end, the popular landmark became the birthplace of Norway’s largest open-air opera tradition.

Aurora – The beginning

In collaboration with The Norwegian Opera and the Centennial Anniversary of Norway 1905 – 2005, a new opera by composer Trygve Madsen, with Jon Bing as librettist, was commissioned. The opera was named Aurora. The story is based on The Great Nordic War and the Swedish warrior king Carl XII’s death at Fredriksten fortress in 1718. Aurora had its world premiere outdoors at Fredriksten fortress in June 2005.

Østfold county municipality was the main producer in close cooperation with The Norwegian Opera and Halden municipality. The production was a success and over 8,000 people came to see the performance, some travelling from across Norway and abroad to see the new opera and its impressive environs. Due to this success, there was great enthusiasm about the thought of another big opera production on Fredriksten fortress, and as soon as two years later in 2007, Il trovatore by Giuseppi Verdi entered our stage.

Growing success and establishing Opera Østfold

One thing became clear – there was a strong demand for opera. Two successful productions proved that there not only was a demand for an open-air opera tradition in Halden, but that people would travel far to experience it. The productions were also large collaborative efforts – students from local high schools’ fashion, hairdresser and makeup programs got to work on the productions as part of their schooling, which was a massive learning experience and a tradition that we still honour to this day.

As a result of the successful productions at Fredriksten fortress, Halden municipality and Østfold county council took initiative to officially establish Opera Østfold and continue the opera tradition. By January 2008 the company was established, and in 2009 it gained the status of district opera which came with annual support from the state budget.

Opera Østfold’s first production as a district opera was Turandot by Puccini in the summer of 2009 and the opera had a full house at every performance. Mona Levin, a Norwegian journalist, author, actress and critic, wrote after the performances:

«With this production of Puccini’s great work, Turandot, they have probably set a new standard for outdoor opera productions in Norway».
Mona Levin, Aftenposten, 15.06.2009

After the success of Turandot, Opera Østfold consolidated its position as a district opera and as an intermediary of outdoor opera to a large audience in the spectacular surroundings of Fredriksten fortress. The opera Carmen by Bizet in 2011 was followed by Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco in 2013, Puccini’s Tosca in 2015, Mozart’s The Magic Flute in 2017, a new production of Verdis Il Trovatore in 2019, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman in 2022 and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore in 2025 – all of which received excellent reviews.

Opera Østfold has a unique position in the market. Our amphitheatre, with over 2000 seats, is the largest amphitheatre in Norway, earning us the title of «Norway’s largest open-air opera».

With each production we construct a new, specialized stage on Fredriksten fortress’ Place d’Armes. This fantastic arena is not only breathtaking – it’s also one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway, with approximately 300,000 visitors a year. This unique arena builds a solid platform for the overall experience and creates a spectacular visual framework for the performances.

Festivals

Opera Østfold organizes our big, open-air opera productions every other year. That, however, doesn’t mean that we neglect the time in between each big production – the year and months in between always get filled with smaller events, or even festivals.

We created and cultivated Fredriksten Operafestival, a weeklong festival held in the spring in Halden with a variety of performances and events scattered throughout different areas of town. The festival has been held three times – in 2021, 2023, and 2024 – and have offered brilliant performances like La Bohème, Il Ciarlatano, The Telephone, Scenebetennelse and Opera i Skofabrikken, among others.

In 2026 Opera Østfold also held their first children’s festival – Barnas Søndag Spesial.

For Children

In the years since the company’s beginning, Opera Østfold has continually worked to expand and enrich our cultural contributions, especially in Østfold county.  Since 2020, Opera Østfold has hosted a range of activities and performances for children and teens, resulting in the creation of a brand-new Norwegian opera for children called “Ruffen og den flyvende hollender” (“Ruffen and the flying dutchman”).

Opera Østfold has also completed several opera tours in local kindergartens with child-friendly opera performances. “Lille Brøl” (“Little Roar”) is Opera Østfold’s own production, and uses song, audience participation and uncomplicated visual cues to tell a funny and heartwarming story. The tours have been a success each time, with the children often bursting into laughter at the funny character and costumes the performers put on – all while listening to music by Bizet, Grieg, Mozart, Rossini, Händel and Purcell.

We have also created Barnas Søndag, (Sunday is for Kids), an event that takes place a couple times a year with performances and activities for children ages 3-12. Barnas Søndag Spesial is an extension of this concept, transforming the event into a festival held in Fredriksted fortress.

Events

Opera Østfold arranges many different events throughout the year. During festivals there are always different events happening at the same time, but we also arrange concerts, performances and activities separate from the festivals, at varying times throughout the year.

A tradition kept since 2020 is the concert “Med Opera På Timeplanen” (Opera on the Schedule), where graduate students of the music program at Greåker videregående skole (Greåker High School) host a free concert in Fredrikshald Teater where they perform a variety of songs from classic operas and musical theatre – an event treasured both by fans of the arts, as well as the students themselves, who get to perform in front of a live audience and test their skills. The concert takes place every year, around April.

Opera Østfold also arranges months-long stretches of weekly opera concerts in one of Halden’s most popular bars, The Drunken Chef. This is an accessible offer for the locals who want to experience opera, perhaps for the first time, in a safe, informal environment while enjoying good drinks, food and company.

For Seniors

Opera Østfold is behind Halden Dementia Choir (Halden Demenskor), a free program for the local population of people diagnosed with dementia. This is a safe place for people with dementia and their loved ones to gather. The weekly choir practices help establish routine and is a fun activity to look forward to. Music is a known tool for managing dementia symptoms and a great method of accessing memories and building motivation and joy for affected individuals. Halden’s dementia choir is run by Liv Renate Elnes, a conductor, vocal coach, and a musical therapist. The choir is also a collaborative effort between high school students in the health program at Halden videregående skole (Halden High School), as well as volunteers from Halden frivilligsentral (Halden Volunteer Center) and Halden demensforening (Halden Dementia Association). The choir puts on a live concert once every six months.

Our Goal

Opera is an artform sometimes alluded to being something for “the select few” to enjoy – we oppose this idea and want to challenge this perception. Opera is for everyone, regardless of age, economic status, ethnicity, gender, upbringing or any other factor. We strive to make opera more enticing and welcoming to everybody, and by offering festivals for children, choirs for people with dementia as well as big and small performances and productions in all different kinds of venues, we feel that we are achieving that goal – and are always looking to expand even further.