The Kirsten Flagstad Festival is initiated by the municipality of Hamar. The municipal board of Hamar assigned Musikkens Venner and other music organisations in the region this project, to realise the desire for a festival named after the city's famous daughter, the operasinger Kirsten Flagstad.

The festival highlights Kirsten Flagstad`s birthplace and the Kirsten Flagstad Museum. The festival 's new artistic director is the mezzo soprano and professor of music, Randi Stene.

The first festival took place in 2006. The festival is not a pure opera festival, but a festival in Kirsten Flagstad`s spirit, a vocal festival with roots in classical music and a distinct high quality profile. The main focus is on the concert program, and in addition there are masterclasses, art exhibitions, lectures, films, conversations and causeries at the Flagstad Museum. The festival shed light on Kirsten Flagstad and the music she represents. Working to improve awareness of, and understanding of, music where the voice is prominent. The festival presents a program where significant parts belong to Kirsten Flagstad`s genre and tradition.

The festival aims to winning new audiences for opera, classical music and song. In our program you will find nursery concerts, events where the festival collaborates with the Cultural Walking Stick, church concerts and street events. Opera is sung at the banken as well as the pub. The breadth of the program is, in other words, big and diverse. The festival is mainly based on great efforts by volunteers.