Camilla Sønstabø Thorkildsen becomes the new managing director at NMH

Camilla on IN.TUNE Summit i Wien. Foto: Stephan Polzer / mdw.

Get (even) better acquainted with NMH's incoming managing director, Camilla Sønstabø Thorkildsen! Camilla, who is currently department director for the Education and Research Department, will step into her new role as managing director on 1 January.

What are you most looking forward to in your role as managing director?

I look forward to getting better acquainted with parts of the institution that I am not so familiar with. I am also excited to work with the organisation to improve the flow of various processes and to ensure that NMH continues to be a leading educational and research institution in music, with a great and progressive learning and working environment.

What do you see as the biggest challenges?

An important challenge is ensuring we have enough space for our activities. At the same time, it is demanding that we face cuts in our funding year after year.

What do you see as the most important issues for NMH right now?

At the moment, work is ongoing on an application to continue IN.TUNE, which is an important matter for NMH.

By 2026, NMH will have finalised action plans in education, research, and dissemination. It is essential that we create the right conditions to realise these. I would also like to highlight NMH's academic policy work to emphasise the importance of music and the arts in a broader societal perspective.

I am also excited to work with the organisation to improve the flow of various processes and to ensure that NMH continues to be a leading educational and research institution in music, with a great and progressive learning and working environment.
Camilla Sønstabø Thorkildsen, new managing director

How do you get to work, and how long does it take?

I walk (or jog slightly). I am a bit of a time optimist and always think it takes me seven minutes, but in reality, it's closer to ten.

What was your last cultural experience and/or your next one?

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the musical about Treholt, which was an unforgettable experience.

Over the weekend, I both watched Growth of the Soil (Markens grøde) at the cinema and attended the premiere of Torbjørn Dyrud's Requiem, conducted by Vivianne, in the Cathedral. It was fantastic. Now, I am, of course, looking forward to Chamber Music Week!

What do you enjoy doing most in your free time?

I love having a free day in Oslo without big plans — strolling around the city, visiting a café, and seeing if there's a film, exhibition, or concert worth catching.

I also really enjoy reading, knitting, hiking in the mountains, and gathering family and friends around the dining table.

What’s the best thing about working at NMH?

The people!

What’s something you’d like people to know about you?

Most people at NMH know that I don’t have a musical background, but what many might not know is that I come from a family with generations of visual artists on one side and arts and crafts teachers on the other. I am the “black sheep” in the family, with a greater talent for managing and organising artists than creating or performing art myself.

My accent reveals that I’m from Bergen, but I also have a couple of international experiences under my belt — I was an exchange student in the Czech Republic just a few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and I spent six months living in Soweto (a township in Johannesburg, South Africa) while Nelson Mandela was still president. These experiences have shaped my educational choices and provided me with invaluable insights, memories, and the sense of being at the centre of events, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Two colleagues about Camilla

Camilla is a hard worker with an incredibly efficient mind for good systems. The unique thing is that she combines this with being a wonderfully kind, warm, and cheerful person. With her, you can stay positive even when things get turbulent. I look forward to continuing to work with Camilla in her new role!
Astrid Kvalbein, Principal

Camilla is a warm and generous leader who places great trust in her colleagues. After nine years at NMH, she knows the institution very well and will be able to develop the Director role from day one. We in the Study Administration and Student Support Section are excited to see Camilla as the top leader of the administration and know she will do an excellent job for NMH.
Renate Hauge Sund, Head of department