Kyrre Sassebo Haaland (b. 1976) studied piano at Stavanger College and composition at Royal College of Music in London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

 

Haaland has written music for a variety of ensembles, but takes a special liking to the orchestral format. His music is characterized by a concise and economical use of musical material, internal coherence and colourful instrumentation. He values clarity of expression and keeps a keen eye on form and dramaturgy. He strives to approach every project with openness and an attentive attitude to the distinctiveness of the task.

 

Haaland has immersed himself in the traditions of Norwegian folk music and has collaborated with central Norwegian folk musicians such as Knut Buen, Per Sæmund Bjørkum and Gjermund Larsen. He also takes an interest in traditional music from other continents, and has conducted study trips to Japan and Argentina. He enthusiastically enters into discourse with music history by taking on a variety of orchestration and arrangement tasks.

 

Haaland’s list of works consists of both chamber music and orchestral pieces, amongst which one finds a standalone opera scene based on the Ibsen play Hedda Gabler (2006), orchestral re-workings of Norwegian Peasant Dances by Edvard Grieg (2007), the fanfare and opening piece for the official opening ceremony of the European Capital of Culture in Stavanger (2008) and the opening piece for the new Stavanger Concert Hall (2012). More recent works include the string quintet Rothko Room (2017) and the orchestral pieces Cantus (2017), Three Pieces by Casella (2018), Sliding Doors (2020), Red on Maroon  (2020), Tempo giubilante (2021) and Caravan (2022). Haaland was awarded the Shell Prize in 2005 and was named Stavanger Artist of the Year in 2013. His music has been performed at numerous venues in Norway and abroad.

 

Haaland lives in Stavanger where he holds a position at the University of Stavanger, Faculty of Performing Arts.

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Kyrre Sassebo Haaland is a member of the Norwegian Society of Composers.