Norrbotten World creates exciting musical encounters across borders

Now Norrbottensmusiken is starting a new permanent operation – Norrbotten World. Here, artists with roots in Norrbotten, Sápmi and national minorities will be highlighted through exciting collaborations across linguistic and cultural borders.

Within Norrbotten World, music becomes a tool to take Norrbotten out into the world and also welcome the world to Norrbotten. This doesn't just happen through music. It also becomes a place where stories can take new paths, where people from different cultures and backgrounds meet and together create something unique and enriching.

Five touring music productions are currently being planned for 2025, where inspiring musical encounters will occur. These include musicians from Norrbotten, Sápmi and other national minorities meeting national and international artists with completely different backgrounds and identities. These productions will be presented at Norrbottensmusiken's program day in September.

The goal of the new operation is to create a more broadened and flexible music offering within Norrbotten music, to strengthen the place of our national minorities and the indigenous Sami people in the music field, and to develop new music productions where Norrbotten "meets the world".

“Enormous pride”

Annelii Backman, county music manager at Norrbottensmusiken, is excited and believes strongly in the new business Norrbotten World:

– I feel enormous pride that the Norrbotten Region is investing in Norrbotten Music to prioritize and work to strengthen our national minorities, the indigenous Sami people and Norrbotten musicians. Through the new activities, we can highlight our history and our stories, that they can be set to music and reach far beyond the borders of the region, both nationally and, hopefully, also internationally. Then, that we can let creative people from different backgrounds meet to learn from each other and create something new together, that is also heartwarming.

How did you end up in this business?

– We were commissioned by the Norrbotten Region to create a broader and more flexible music offering and then asked the organizers, freelance musicians, partners from the region and also the staff at Norrbottensmusiken which area they saw should be prioritized and landed in this new business. We got so many incredible ideas through this work so we will continue with other ideas and thoughts that have come in as well but not as a new business. This is an inside-out work that we now have to take care of and build at Norrbottensmusiken.

Norrbotten Region's cultural director Anette Winblad von Walter:
– I really look forward to following the development of Norrbotten World. Giving Norrbotten's own voice a place, on both the national and international map, is a very welcome development that is also well-established with our citizens in an extensive preliminary investigation.

Contact

Annelii Backman
county music director
0705-730 885