Norrlandsoperan's 2026 season presents a rich tapestry of events that blend traditional and contemporary art forms. From the operatic retelling of Cinderella to Jephta van Dinther's avant-garde dance performance 'Mercury Rising,' there's something for every art enthusiast. This season's lineup not only showcases a diverse range of genres but also dives deep into themes of identity, appearance, and communication. Join us as we explore each event and the creative minds behind them, offering a glimpse into the world of Norrlandsoperan.

Exploring Cultural Narratives: Norrlandsoperan's Diverse 2026 Lineup

Norrlandsoperan is set to dazzle audiences with a diverse array of performances in early 2026. From the folk music tour of Sister Polishand and Fredrik Hangasjärvi to the modern ballet performances of Works and Days and Knocking, there is something for everyone. The events also include orchestral evenings featuring Strauss and Beethoven, a family performance exploring Sami mythology, the vibrant Tap Dance festival, and the powerful opera Tosca. Whether you are a fan of classical music or contemporary dance, these events promise to enrich your cultural experience.

A Tapestry of Music and Dance: Norrlandsoperan's Diverse Event Lineup for 2026

Dive into an eclectic collection of performances at Norrlandsoperan, Umeå in 2026, where diverse artistic expressions converge. From ballet and dance to orchestral symphonies and the rich tapestry of Sami culture, this season promises a vibrant celebration of creativity. Explore epic narratives, rhythmic explorations, and timeless symphonies, as artists infuse their unique perspectives into each performance. Join us as we unpack the events that make this season a testament to the power of art in connecting cultures and sharing stories.

Unraveling Diversity in Artistry: A Journey through Norrlandsoperan's 2026 Lineup

In  Works and Days,  experiences from a trip to ancient Greece are mixed with fragments of a fifteen-year-old performance. With humor and seriousness, Gunilla Heilborn attempts to figure out how all the disparate episodes she has collected are connected and whether it is really possible to understand the world better by reading both the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Works and Days  consists of two parts. In one, we are met with magnificent tableaux with names like  “A place that is terrible in winter, harsh in summer, never pleasant”  and “ The Rose-fingered Dawn ”. Through fog, mist and music, two dancers move; let’s call them Foam-eyed Sophie and Many-worded Ludvig. With fleeting ease, they stroll across the stage and ask themselves and the audience questions. Do you get seasick easily? Would you describe me as a typical Renaissance person? That I have many strings on my lyre? Do you know what it feels like to drift around in a ship that has frozen solid in the ice?

Works and Days – an epic

Norrlandsoperan

Sister Polishand the Norrbotten accordionist Fredrik Hangasjärvi have come together to create a folk music concert with songs and ballads from Uppland, Dalarna and Tornedalen. Here, five national fiddlers come together to offer a mix of traditional songs and their own compositions. The songs are framed by ballads in both Swedish, Älvdalen and Meänkieli, together with colorful stories.

Sister Polishwas formed when Benny Andersson invited them to his studio in 2015. Sweet music emerged and resulted in the critically acclaimed album Randig kjortel . The group appeared in Allsång på Skansen in 2016 and 2018 and have played on various stages around Sweden since their album debut.

Sister Polishand Fredrik Hangasjärvi on tour

MB Dorotea

Anders Bistro

MB Lycksele 

Ume people

Citizens' House Cinema, Vännäs

FHAmusement park

Welcome to a unique concert tour of music with roots in nature that transcends the power of language. Experience the meeting between the magnificent sound of a symphony orchestra and traditional Sami singing traditions when the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra is joined by vocalists Katarina Barruk and Hildá Länsman. Icelandic conductor Bjarni Frímann weaves together a magical evening of music that moves between different genres and moods.

Katarina Barruk and Hildá Länsman meet the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra on tour

Musiikkitalo Concert Hall

Kotka Concert Hall

Turku Concert Hall

The rats Spool and Daisy find a message in a bottle with a cry for help from an unknown friend. Together with the audience, the rats are taken on a breathtaking musical sea adventure with singing, dancing and a completely unexpected ending…


“Definitely a worthwhile performance with a lot of heart and brain” – NSD

“It was a real adventure!” – 5-year-old

"As an adult, I was spellbound. It was funny, exciting, educational and a great story. My borrowed 6-year-old child with special needs also followed along. This is a fantastic rating in itself!" - Audience vote

Come to the deserted island, afraid.

Welcome to a unique concert of music with roots in nature that transcends the power of language. Experience the meeting between the magnificent sound of a symphony orchestra and traditional Sami singing traditions when the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra joins forces with vocalists Katarina Barruk and Hildá Länsman. Icelandic conductor Bjarni Frímann weaves together a magical evening of music that moves between different genres and moods.

Katarina Barruk and Hildá Länsman meetNorrland Opera Symphony Orchestra

2023 madeJephta van Dinthersuccess with the grand performance Remachine. On February 4, 2026, he returns to Norrlandsoperan in a slightly smaller format, as urgent as ever and with his unmistakable design language and aesthetics. Mercury Rising premieres in Berlin on November 21, 2025.

Jephta van Dintherhas become known for his distinctive aesthetic where illusion and reality are often intertwined and the boundaries between them slowly shift. Through a conscious play with perception, he often creates dystopian sinkholes that challenge our senses and open up new, unexpected worlds.

His new work  Mercury Rising  examines the complexity of language and human communication. The performance, created in collaboration with the participating dancers,Dawn Jani Birley,Rita MazzaandLukas Malkowski, uncover a terrain of ancient as well as future nonlinear languages. Together they navigate a landscape of communication, signs, agency and corporeality.

Mercury Rising

During our cozy and bubbly mingle, Anja Arnquist, artistic director of dance, presents this spring's exciting program and Jefta van Dinther, choreographer of Mercury Rising, gives an introduction to tonight's performance.

Immediately after the mingle, we invite you to  Mercury Rising  , which opens the 2026 dance season! Book your ticket  here .

Come as you are and mingle with other dance lovers, curious visitors and us at Norrlandsoperan!

Hope to see you! 

Dansmingel våren 2026

Sci-fi meets rococo in Missy Mazzoli’s mind-blowing tone poem Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), which opens this space-inspired program. The evening’s main number is Thea Musgrave’s oboe concerto Helios, performed by German soloist Juri Vallentin, in which we follow the Greek sun god’s journey across the firmament. Robert Schumann’s more earth-oriented, jubilant First Symphony, also called the “Spring Symphony,” finally brings us back down to earth.

Musgrave and Schumann

Sara cultural center

One of Rossini's most popular operas, known for its lively and virtuosic vocal numbers. Spring 2026 bringsNorrland Operaa touring version of the classic fairy taleCinderella, which here becomes a twisted comedy with nods to our appearance-obsessed contemporary world.

Cinderella

One of Rossini's most popular operas, known for its lively and virtuosic singing numbers. In the spring of 2026, Norrlandsoperan will present a touring version of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which here becomes a twisted comedy with winks at our appearance-obsessed contemporary world.

EPSG:4326

Cinderella on Tour

Burträskarnas hus

Folkets Hus Gällivare

Folkets Hus Haparanda

Medborgarhuset Lycksele

Nordanå Theatre

Bring friends and colleagues right after work for a refreshing dose of classical music with the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra! This time, our orchestra, led by conductor Crawford-Phillips, offers a symphony written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the portal names of the Western musical tradition.

Classical AW feat. Mozart

The superduo Simon Crawford-Phillips and Malin Broman offer a full evening in the spirit of Swedish music. There will be a world premiere of Benjamin Staern's The Eternal, followed by solo juggling in Daniel Börtz's Double Concerto for One. It all lands softly in Mozart's lovely Thirty-ninth Symphony.

Börtz and Mozart

Rossini, Puccini, Mozart, Wagner, Bizet and Strauss are just some of the composers behind the opera gems this magnificent concert evening offers. The Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra together with mezzo-soprano Rebecka Wallroth, tenor Per Lindström and conductor Nikolas Nägele welcome you to a glamorous evening filled with gems from the opera repertoire. The emcee for the evening is Tina Ahlin.

Trettondagskonsert

During the Twelfth Night weekend, Norrlandsoperan" class="css-u850">Norrlandsoperan opens its doors for a glittering, high-class opera gala with carefully selected treats for opera connoisseurs and beginners alike. Swedish rising star Rebecka Wallroth makes her debut at Norrlandsoperan and as the male counterpart we hear the well-known tenor Per Lindström.

The evening begins in the good spirit of La Scala with Italian splendor. Rebecka Wallroth sets the tone with the famous Rossini aria “Una voce poco fa” from The Barber of Seville followed by the duet “Un soave non so che” from Cinderella by the same composer. This is followed by another soprano number from the bel canto repertoire, this time from Bellini’s opera I Capuleti ei Montecchi . The first set is rounded off in grand style by Per Lindström with Puccini’s beloved tenor arias “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca and “Che gelida manina” from La Bohème.

Thirteenth Day Concert

Jonas Olsson, Norrlandsoperan's own pianist, returns with Olivier Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus – a piano work that is considered one of the most significant of the 20th century. A piano concert in the spirit of Christmas with music to immerse yourself in and be overwhelmed by.

Twenty Reflections on the Child Jesus

After a critically acclaimed and sold-out spring tour, 1900 – an audiovisual concert is back in Umeå this fall. This time for two evenings on Norrlandsoperan's largest stage.

1900 – An audiovisual concert: Kontragarde

Norrlandsoperan has an important regional mission to offer musical experiences of the highest quality to all of Västerbotten. Therefore, musicians from Norrlandsoperan's Symphony Orchestra will play Christmas music at nursing homes and care facilities in Västerbotten County during week 51.

Chamber music at Christmas time with flute and cello duo

Northern Lights sheltered accommodation

Service house Skytten

Tallbacka nursing home

Norrlandsoperan has an important regional mission to offer musical experiences of the highest quality to all of Västerbotten. Therefore, musicians from Norrlandsoperan's Symphony Orchestra will play Christmas music at nursing homes and care facilities in Västerbotten County during week 51.

The Avatar Quartet was formed in 2005 and consists of string musicians from Norrlandsoperan's Symphony Orchestra. Over the years, the quartet has established itself as a professional ensemble that operates both locally and regionally with a wide range of repertoire.

Kammarmusik i juletid med Avatarkvartetten

Bruksbackens Nursing Home

Alva culture, NUS, Umeå

Axlagården, Umeå

Berghem Senior Center, Umeå

Tegs Senior Center, Umeå

Once upon a time there was a musical journey… it went through sparkling snow and wintry expanses, on its way to a land far, far away. Follow along ona winter fairy tale with the Snowflake Singers! 

Since its inception in 2005, Snowflake Singers has delivered barbershop, pop, Christmas music and finely tuned carols – always with choreography, stage makeup and maximum energy. Every year the choir competes in the Nordic Championships and has won several medals. In the fall of 2024, Snowflake Singers represented the Nordic countries in the Barbershop World Championships in Kansas City. 

A winter fairy tale with the Snowflake Singers

When the winter darkness is at its thickest,Norrland Operaopen the gates for this year's Classic Christmas with the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra, two magical evenings – December 12 and 13 – packed with ear candy for those who want to get in the Christmas spirit just in time for Epiphany. Everything from English choral gems, classical solo singing by Mozart and Sibelius to beloved Swedish Christmas music is on offer.

Classic Christmas with the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra

Sol Invictus

The Little Suite, or Petite Suite as it is called in French, is a true evergreen in the classical repertoire. Debussy's short orchestral suite in four movements is instantly recognizable. Even if you don't know the title, you'll be happy to hum along to the lulling, light and inimitable melodies.

Debussy and Poulenc

Tristan och Isolde

The performance begins with a creation story from Sami mythology where the reindeer's heart is placed in the ground and creates a rhythm that also becomes the rhythm of the earth. We experience the construction of a Sami hut which is also about the construction of a community and how we need to help each other together.

The music is an electronic soundscape with elements of local yoikers from Jokkmokk – the area where Liv Aira herself comes from. The performance Sjaddo wants to arouse curiosity in the audience about Sami culture and strengthen the identity of minorities.

Sjaddo Liv Aira

Norrdan's new performance Knocking celebrates rhythm – not just as a simple accompaniment, but as a language of its own. Rhythm is always there. It is in the music, in the footsteps, in the room, in the breath. Rhythm is a feeling.

Knocking – Horacio Macuacua / Northern dance

The stage-talented star clarinetist David Orlowsky visits Norrlandsoperan with his self-written, hypnotic solo piece Shadow Dancer. A dramatic evening is promised, loaded with emotion and courageous equilibration. As the icing on the cake, the program ends with Beethoven's never-fading masterpiece, the Fifth Symphony, also known as the Symphony of Fate.

Strauss and Beethoven

The stage-talented star clarinetist David Orlowsky visits Sara Kulturhus with his self-written, hypnotic solo piece Shadow Dancer. A dramatic evening is promised, loaded with emotion and courageous equilibration. As the icing on the cake, the program ends with Beethoven's never-failing masterpiece, the Fifth Symphony, also known as the Symphony of Fate.

Strauss and Beethoven on tour

Two real multi-instrumentalists take on everyday stories in this rocking and swinging concert colored by Brazilian music with samba pieces.

Swing!

Stockholm International Tap Dance Festival is one of the world's largest tap dance events. 2026 will be the 14th edition and the weekend before the festival starts, we in Umeå will have the opportunity to take part in the festival's opening performance. It is not yet clear who this year's artists will be. But we can already promise a unique evening of world-class tap dance.

Tap Dance

One day. Three ways to die. Director Eirik Stubø takes on one of opera literature's most multifaceted portraits of women and with perhaps the most beautiful music of all - Puccini's Tosca.

Tosca

Yonderis a hangout in an eternal summer night. Six young dancers embody the roar of adolescence in a powerful and captivating performance with magnificent music by Toussaint “Tusse” Chiza.

School performance: Yonder – OR/ELLER

Yonder is a dance performance in a coming of age format, a teenage hangout in an eternal summer night. In the middle of the universal and the “I get shivers all over my body” feeling, a group of people wait for life, while they live it intensely. What happens is nothing, and everything at the same time. 

In the choreographer duo OR/ELLER’s new work, we meet six young dancers who embody the teenage roar in a powerful and captivating performance. We sit around the stage and feel the breeze from their bodies. A chance to experience what the proximity to dance awakens in us. 

Yonder – OR/ELLER

Cherished world name Boris Giltburg comes to Umeå to welcome spring with one of the world's most beloved piano concertos: Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto from 1901, the magnum opus of the bending, grand-ruffled Romantic piano art. The evening also offers new writing by German-Swedish Lisa Streich and playful playing-card classicism by Igor Stravinsky.

Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff

Made of Space is an award-winning visual and musical journey with seven dancers and two musicians (marimba and percussion) in a choreography that both challenges and surrenders to gravity.

The stage space creates the illusion of infinity, that the dance is also taking place outside our field of vision. In an advanced interplay between dance, music and stage space, an endless wave of dance and music arises, a vortex of life energy, a complete presence. Here and now, together.

In the performances of choreographer duo Guy Nader and Maria Campos, the interaction between the dancers is always in focus. An advanced partner work that creates a comforting world, where there is always someone to receive when I fall or throw myself out, someone to offer a starting point when I want to climb, an outstretched hand or foot when I need support. The art of always being at hand and daring to trust each other.

Made of Space – Guy Nader / Maria Campos

The spring season atNorrland Operaends with a real music festival where a variety of musical expressions from different corners of the world share the spotlight. On the podium we find, in honor of the concert and as expected, the house's ownEduardo StrausserThe evening

begins with Jessie Montgomery's Records from a Vanishing City, a tribute to the eclectic soundscape she was surrounded by in the bohemian East Village neighborhood of New York as a child in the 80s and 90s.

Lorenz and Shostakovich

Bring friends and colleagues right after work for a refreshing dose of classical music withNorrland Opera Symphony Orchestra! This time our orchestra, led by chief conductor, invitesEduardo Strausseron Dmitri Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony, known as his "classic".

Norrlandsoperan

Mar 7, 2026

Sjaddo Liv Aira

Mar 11, 2026

Knocking – Horacio Macuacua / Northern dance

Mar 12, 2026

Strauss and Beethoven

Mar 13, 2026

Strauss and Beethoven on tour

Mar 21, 2026

Swing!

27 - 28 Feb, 2026

Works and Days – an epic

21 - 27 Feb, 2026

Sister Polishand Fredrik Hangasjärvi on tour

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