On a raining September evening in Oslo, the city hummed with the sounds of experimentation. In galleries, theatres, mausoleums and sewage treatment plants, audiences wandered into sound installations, heard ensembles threaded with electronics, and watched musicians push their instruments or voices to the edge of unkown.
This was Ultima, Scandinavia’s largest festival of contemporary music, now in its 34th edition — and one of Europe’s boldest showcases of the new and the unexpected.
Founded in 1991, Ultima has long been a collective enterprise. “Seventeen very important institutions in Norwegian cultural life created it, and they are still with us today,” said Heloisa Amaral, the festival’s artistic director. “We have orchestras, the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, experimental theatre, museums, academies — all contributing productions. It’s always a big collective effort, with dialogue among all these institutions and partners, both local and international.”
Over the years, Ultima’s definition of contemporary music has broadened dramatically. “When Ultima was created, it was more about Western notated music — Boulez, Stockhausen, Xenakis, or earlier Schoenberg and Stravinsky,” Amaral explained. “In the last decades the landscape has changed. Composers today are exposed to many genres, and they bring those into their work. Contemporary music for us means music that is experimental, opening up, not afraid to risk.”
That spirit was evident everywhere this year. My first four days at Ultima revealed concerts where electronics played a prominent role — from immersive sound installations to ensemble works blended with digital soundscapes. Amaral, however, resists labelling this as the festival’s signature. “Electronics have become so accessible that many artists use them,” she said. “But we also have purely acoustic concerts — like Christian Wallumrød’s piano recital, or the Kronos Quartet with traditional Norwegian instruments. There’s a bit of everything.”
Such openness extends beyond genre to politics. In recent years, festivals across Europe have been caught in debates over cancel culture, boycotts, and cultural diplomacy. Amaral acknowledges the sensitivities but maintains a clear stance. “Political statements are important, but boycott is not something we adopt,” she said. “To program Russian composers today is controversial. But Russia is an immense nation with people who oppose what is happening politically. If we in culture just close communication with artists, we lose the chance for change. The stage should be a place for discussion. We cannot just choose what we like.”
Her curiosity also stretches to China. “Ultima has had exchanges with Chinese composers in the past,” she noted. “Asamisimasa performed a full concert of pieces by Yiran Zhao two years ago. But recently we haven’t had many Chinese artists. I know China has developed rapidly, technologically and culturally, and there must be so many interesting scenes, both official and underground. I would love to discover them, and to show this history through music.”
For Ultima, the role of a festival is not only to showcase the cutting edge of sound but also to sustain dialogue across borders, genres, and ideologies. As Amaral summed up: “If an artist has something to say that is important, it doesn’t matter where they’re from. We will bring it to the stage and let the art speak for itself.”
