– It's not a battle between men and women, it's a battle of democracy

Below: Chairwoman Guro Kleveland's thoughts on Balanseprat #6: How the role of the composer has developed, and how it has been specifically influenced by women working in the field.

"Last night at the Ultima Academy and Balansekunst's Balanseprat #6: Great discussions, a good and dedicated crowd of international voices, both panel and audience. Thank you, everybody, for a great evening! Big thank yous to the great panel; Peter Meanwell, Natasha Barrett, Karin Rehnqvist and Rune Rebne. To Georgina Born, Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen and Sine Tofte Hannibal – to mention but a few – for joining us in the audience. To Gyrid Nordal Kaldestad for great organising. To Norges musikkhøgskole and Norsk Komponistforening for support. And not in the least: A big thank you to a visionary festival director who is moving along as this year's festival draws to a close this weekend."

From the left: Rune Rebne, Natasha Barrett, Karin Rehnqvist and Peter Meanwell.

Here is Balansekunst's greeting from last night's introduction:

"Ultima is a daring festival with an uncompromising stance on artistic quality. Ultima is a model festival and a great role model in music and arts – not only as to what concerns the artistic expression and festival profile, but also as to what concerns promoting women in your programming, and in general taking a clear stance on the issue of gender equality and diversity. So: Lars Petter Hagen, a huge thank you for now, thank you for boldly going where few men have gone before. And Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival: The Art of Balance looks forward to great cooperations in the years to come, and to get to know your new artistic director Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen."

To cite the famous, Finnish composer Rebecka Ahvenniemi, who participated in Balanseprat #3 earlier this year: It is not a battle between men and women, it is a battle of democracy.