Jostein Stalheim is a composer, accordionist, and professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, where he leads the research group Kairos. One of the group’s projects is Soundpainting, which includes regular concerts, seminars, and workshops.
At the age of 17, Stalheim had his compositions performed on Norwegian radio and television. He gained his breakthrough as a musician at the 1984 Soloist Biennale, performing Arne Nordheim’s SPUR with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Stalheim has distinguished himself as a composer through his originality across a wide range of genres. His works include the ballet score Watch, the opera Pr. Warrant’s Progress, the orchestral piece Tanchoreiárdástev, and the multimedia work The Wild Swans – a collaboration combining ballet, animation, and brass band. He composes music for theatre, ballet, opera, orchestras, ensembles, and soloists, and also works with electroacoustic music.