2016 - The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra

The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra

The Opera and Ballet Prize will this year be given to a group that we have long wanted to recognise. A group that is the very foundation of the Opera’s activities, and that makes it possible for the artists to perform their art. This year’s winner is not a novice by any means, their history goes back to 1837.  Today, they have their headquarters at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet House, with their own rehearsal hall and acoustics of world class.  This year’s winner has 101 full-time musicians, and has established itself as one of Norway’s best orchestras. It is with great pleasure that Tom Wilhelmsen’s Foundation awards the prize to such a worthy winner.

A unanimous jury voted for the Opera Orchestra as the winner 2016.  The prize of one million Norwegian kroner is to be used for a tour playing in Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki in 2017.

We congratulate Karl-Heinz and his orchestra.