Regional hub for Southern Norway
Work on establishing Polyfon's regional hub for Southern Norway is well under way. On 4 June 2026, Polyfon's Regional Coordinator for Southern Norway, Marie Skånland, hosted a half-day seminar that brought together participants from academia, local government, health services and the cultural sector across the region.
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Regional hub seminar at Knuden
A half-day seminar on regional hubs for music therapy and music as a resource for health and wellbeing was held at Knuden in Kristiansand on 4 June.
The aim of the seminar was to introduce Polyfon's regional hub model and to highlight the potential of music as a resource for health and wellbeing. Participants were also invited to take part in a shared discussion on the opportunities that a regional collaboration within Polyfon could offer.
More than 50 people attended the seminar. The event was characterised by strong enthusiasm and a willingness to collaborate, with a shared ambition to build a culture of knowledge-sharing that can strengthen both professional communities and practice across the region.
The development of Polyfon's regional hub for Southern Norway has got off to a very promising start.
Programme
- Welcome
Marie Strand Skånland, Associate Professor of Music and Health and Regional Coordinator for Southern Norway (Ansgar University College) - My experiences with music therapy
Silje Rasmussen Sandnes, Deputy Chair of Polyfon's lived experience panel - What is the relationship between music and health?
Kaja Elise Enge, PhD, music therapist and Regional Coordinator for Western Norway (University of Bergen) - What is the current status of music therapy in Norway?
Hans Petter Solli, Associate Professor of Music Therapy and Regional Coordinator for Eastern Norway (Norwegian Academy of Music) - What is Polyfon, the Norwegian music therapy knowledge cluster, and what do we hope to achieve through the regional hubs?
Brynjulf Stige, Professor of Music Therapy and Cluster Director of Polyfon (University of Bergen) - Music and mental health: collaboration between ABUP and Kilden Performing Arts Centre
Iris Anette Olsen, Head of Department, ABUP, and Pål Svendsberget, Director of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (KSO) - Why have we chosen to join the Regional Hub for Southern Norway?
Representatives from ROM-Agder, Kristiansand Municipality, Sørlandet Hospital and Kilden Performing Arts Centre - Group discussions
- Plenary discussion and reflections