He was a member of the Royal Danish Theatre and opera houses in Germany, and appeared internationally, especially in stage works by Richard Wagner, including his signature role Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
[1] After singing in the choir at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, he made his debut as a soloist there in 1969, as Shchelkalov in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.
[1] He remained at the house until 1975, appearing in major roles such as Kurwenal in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and in the title role of his Der fliegende Holländer, as the Doctor in Alban Berg's Wozzeck, as Stig in Peter Arnold Heise's Drot og marsk, and as Jochanaan in Salome by Richard Strauss.
[2] Norup was Der fliegende Holländer at the Vienna State Opera in 1985 and Telramund in Lohengrin at La Fenice in Venice in 1990 and the Liceu in Barcelona in 1992.
[1] In 1983, he stepped in at the Bayreuth Festival for the sick Siegmund Nimsgern in the role of the Wanderer in Siegfried, conducted by Georg Solti.