Kjell Habbestad, born in 1955, is a prominent Norwegian composer and professor of music theory and composition with a vast body of work across multiple genres. Educated in church music and composition, he completed his studies in 1981 at the Norwegian Academy of Music, where he studied with influential composers Finn Mortensen, Olav Anton Thommessen, and Lasse Thoresen. 

His career began as an organist and music lecturer, from 1981, ultimately leading to his position as professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2012. Habbestad made his compositional debut in 1978, winning first prize in TONO’s composition competition with his choral work Magnificat.

Throughout his career, Habbestad has created a diverse catalog of so far 110 compositions, including operas like The Maid of Norway and Hans Egede’s Night, as well as oratorios such as Adam and Eve, inspired by Henrik Wergeland’s The Creation, Man, and Messiah. His concert works are similarly wide-ranging, with concertos for clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and Hardanger fiddle, and chamber works including 2 String Quartets and the clarinet quintet Air d’été suédois. He has composed extensively for the theater, including the Moster Pageant, an annual performance in Bømlo, and in 2021, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra performed his Mostrasuite for the 1000th anniversary of Norway’s Christian Laws.

A champion of vocal and liturgical music, Habbestad has composed numerous motets, cantatas, and liturgical dramas, including Jubal and Noah’s Dream. His choral album Et nox in diem versa (LWC 1136) with the Latvia Radio Choir, which includes works like 3 Cantica and Nox Praecessit, earned him a nomination for the Spellemann Award in 2017. He is also an accomplished editor and author, having contributed extensively to the literature on Norwegian contemporary music, and served as chair of various music organizations, including the Norwegian Composers’ Association and TONO’s assessment committee.

His compositions are celebrated for their deep connection to Norwegian heritage and the spiritual, often engaging with Norwegian texts and liturgical themes, making him a central figure in Norway’s contemporary classical music landscape.