Østfold: – Tragic for the Performing Arts

"The closure of the Academy for Performing Arts in Østfold is tragic for the field of performing arts and a big step in the wrong direction for developing arts education in Norway," says Pro-rector at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Morten Qvenild.

The closure puts the artistic PhD, the collaboration with the Universities of Tromsø and Inland, in acute danger of life. It shows how the new financing system in higher education makes it much more challenging to maintain arts education in economically demanding times.

From the Norwegian Academy of Music, Rector Astrid Kvalbein warned against the financing scheme earlier and expressed concern about the new cultural and educational tendencies.

"We firmly believe that society needs more, not less, creativity, culture, and free artistic expressions in challenging times," says Kvalbein.