Fredrikstad & Sarpsborg | 23–25 January 2026
NordSync Forum – Østfold is an international meeting place for performing artists, voluntary cultural organisations, and cultural professionals from across the Nordic region. The forum takes place in Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg and gathers participants from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Åland for three days of knowledge exchange, artistic collaboration, and network building.
The forum is organised by NordSync Project in collaboration with Østfold Musikkforening and partners, and combines professional seminars, workshops, concerts, and educational activities for children and youth.
New partner
The forum is organised by NordSync Project in collaboration with Østfold Musikkforening and partners, and combines professional seminars, workshops, concerts, and educational activities for children and youth.
Focus and objectives
The main theme of NordSync Forum – Østfold is collaboration between voluntary cultural organisations and professional artists. Through lectures, discussions, and practical work, participants explore how cultural organisations can develop their activities, reach new audiences, and strengthen their role by working more closely with professional artists.
A key focus of the forum is interdisciplinarity – how music, visual art, film, and other art forms can be combined to create new artistic expressions and open new possibilities for cooperation, production, and audience development.
Activities during the forum
Lectures and professional sessions
The forum includes lectures and presentations focusing on interdisciplinarity, artistic development, and sustainable collaboration models between voluntary and professional cultural actors.
NordSync Lab – artistic workshops
Professional musicians and artists participate in NordSync Lab workshops, where practical artistic work is combined with discussion and reflection. During the forum, the workshops focus on developing and finalising the NordSync Lab production Den manglende satsen.
Networking and dialogue
Structured networking sessions provide time and space for dialogue, experience sharing, and planning of future collaborations – both within Østfold and across national borders.
Panel discussion
A panel discussion brings together leaders of voluntary cultural organisations, cultural workers, and artists to discuss opportunities for cultural cooperation in Østfold, new project ideas, and potential partners in the Nordic region and beyond.
Concerts and showcase performances
Several concerts take place during the forum, including showcase performances demonstrating how collaboration between voluntary organisations and professional artists can be realised in practice.
Youth orchestra seminar
As part of the forum, a free orchestra seminar for children and youth is organised in Sarpsborg. Young musicians work together with professional instructors from Norway, Sweden, and Finland and conclude the seminar by performing together with professionals in a public concert.
A meeting place for future collaboration
NordSync Forum – Østfold is designed as both a professional arena and a social meeting place. By bringing together artists, organisers, educators, and cultural leaders, the forum aims to strengthen regional and Nordic networks, support new artistic initiatives, and contribute to long-term collaboration and planning for the 2025–2026 season and beyond.
The full programme for NordSync Forum – Østfold
NordSync Project 