news
24.02

From Ice Opera to International Leadership

Louise Beck
Louise Beck

When Louise Beck presented her first opera at Copenhagen Opera Festival in 2022, the audience was asked to bring ski wear and thermal suits. Den Sidste Olie (The Last Oil), about the colonisation of Greenland and the exploitation of nature, unfolded on the ice at Østerbro Skøjtehal. It marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration on newly written works that expand the frames and spaces of opera. Now that collaboration enters a new phase: from 1 September, Louise Beck will become the festival’s new artistic director.

Louise Beck is a scenographer, director and artistic director of the opera platform OPE-N (formerly OperaNord). For nearly three decades, she has worked to develop opera as a vibrant and contemporary art form – in site-specific formats and in dialogue with the repertoire. She has also made a clear mark in the debate on opera’s development conditions and sustainable structures.

»Over the years, I have followed Copenhagen Opera Festival’s tremendous efforts to make opera more accessible and to enchant an entire city with the art form’s stardust. Opera is an all-embracing and untamed art form that can include and move us all – and the festival has recognised this perfectly. Today, it is an indispensable platform where tradition and innovation, opera lovers and entirely new audiences meet. I look forward to helping strengthen and expand this dynamic platform,« says Louise Beck.

She intends to further develop the festival’s role as a key piece of infrastructure within Denmark’s opera ecosystem, where opera houses, the independent scene and new voices come together in committed collaborations – both during the festival and throughout the year.

»In Denmark, there is an enormous pool of talent and a wealth of both experienced and groundbreaking artists who are able and eager to develop the opera genre within the independent scene. Their creative drive and visions are absolutely crucial to the opera ecosystem, and with targeted support from Copenhagen Opera Festival, this strong field will be able to reach audiences across the country and help place Denmark on the international opera map,« says Louise Beck.

Beck succeeds Amy Lane and will take up the position on 1 September. 

Copenhagen Opera Festival 2026 will take place 13–23 August in Copenhagen.

playlist
22.10

My name is Kaspar Kaae – would you like to see my playlist?

© Paw Ager

»For me, music is about curiosity and surprises – yet it’s also something in which you can feel right at home. Music resides within us all, in a physical way that sets it apart from any other art form. To me, music is something greater than the individual – something that will always outlive the individual. The good stuff, in other words ;) « 

Kaspar Kaae is an award-winning film composer, music producer, and songwriter, known for his work with bands such as CODY and Bug Chaser. He holds a Master’s degree in film composition from SDMK.  He has previously been a guitarist in a number of bands on the Danish indie scene, such as CODY, Broken Twin, and Bug Chaser. The latter is releasing the album My First Crippled Love in November. He was born in 1983 on Bornholm, but has lived in Copenhagen and Berlin throughout his adult life.

playlist
21.10

My name is Francesco Rista – would you like to see my playlist?

© PR

»Music is like a black hole that sucks you in and shoots you out on the other side of the universe.«

Francesco Rista is a guitarist working across classical and electric guitar. His recordings have been reviewed by international music magazines and broadcast on BBC and RAI Radio 3. After studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Lund University, he focused on studio recordings, exploring guitar repertoire from the Baroque and Romantic periods to contemporary music, as well as the instrument’s varied tonal possibilities. Rista is currently based in Iceland, where he teaches guitar, composes music, and collaborates with contemporary composers.

 

news
21.10

David Hildebrandt Receives Award From the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation

© Villads Hoffmann
© Villads Hoffmann

Percussionist and composer David Hildebrandt is honoured for his virtuosic work with new music and his efforts to push the boundaries of what rhythm can be.

David Hildebrandt is among the recipients of this year’s honorary awards from the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation. He receives DKK 200,000 in recognition of his uncompromising work with new music and multi-percussion, as well as his ability to challenge conventional ideas about rhythm.

news
20.10

Winners of the 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize announced

© Thor Brødreskift
© Thor Brødreskift
The 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize goes to Norwegian composers Kristine Tjøgersen and Benedicte Maurseth for Elja, a suite for the Kronos Quartet and Hardanger fiddle.
 
Rationale
playlist
20.10

My name is Henrik Marstal – would you like to see my playlist?

© Carsten Seidel

»Who ever said that music is ‘just’ music? To me, it is anything but that: an urge to understand and explain it all. A piece of jewelry I wear every single day. A joy that can, at times, run deep. An ever-changing imprint of millions of stitches in my heart. A longing to disappear.«

Henrik Marstal is a musician, author, and music researcher. He holds a PhD in musicology, is a senior lecturer at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and frequently appears in the media as an expert source on music. His areas of interest include contemporary music, such as electronic music. This winter, he will release both a new album with the pop group ibens and a book about Else Marie Pade, published by the British publishing house Bloomsbury.