Piano: Øystein Skar

About

A beautiful concert experience is in store for the evening of Saturday, September 27:

Pianist and composer Øystein Skar (formerly of Highasakite) will be at the grand piano in Kabuso´s concert hall.

He is currently working on developing new solo works that explore the interplay between acoustic and electronic expression.

In the fall of 2025, he will release the EP Stories for A, a deeply personal project written for his daughter.

About Skar:

He began taking classical piano lessons at the age of six and gradually developed his skills in improvisation and composition under the mentorship of the legendary ECM pianist Misha Alperin at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where he studied jazz and improvisation.

After completing his studies, he toured and recorded music with various projects and bands for several years, primarily within jazz, contemporary, and experimental music, before shifting his focus to experimental electronic music, pop, and studio production.

Skar then spent over a decade in the pop industry, touring the world with the acclaimed band Highasakite.
He received multiple Spellemann Awards (Norwegian Grammys) and platinum records. He collaborated, toured, and recorded music with pop artists such as Aurora and Sigrid, as well as key jazz musicians like Jon Eberson.
With Highasakite, he sold out Oslo Spektrum, performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, and toured with bands like Of Monsters and Men and London Grammar.
His work has spanned both national and international projects, and he has contributed to over 40 releases.

In 2023, Øystein was the opening act for Dutch pianist Joep Beving in Oslo, in collaboration with Live Nation.
The following year, he released the album Hem (meaning "home" in his local dialect) on the Canadian label Moderna Records. The album marked his debut as a solo pianist under his own name.
Hem received glowing reviews in the international press and was followed by concerts and interviews, including appearances on German stations Radio Eins and Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
The album also received substantial international radio play, with features on renowned stations such as KEXP (USA), ByteFM (Germany), and Radio Canada. The release was celebrated with a concert at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet.

As a composer, Øystein has collaborated with many of Norway's leading dance and theatre companies, created music for television, and composed a number of commissioned works. He has received several grants and awards in Norway for his work.