Astrid Kvalbein

Astrid Kvalbein is the Principal at the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) since August 2021, with Morten Qvenild as deputy principal (2023). She has led NMH through post-pandemic economic restructuring and its 2023-2024 anniversary year, emphasizing student-employee engagement through dialogue and development.

• Education: Doctorate (2013) and degree in music pedagogy (1998) from NMH.
• Research Focus: Historical and contemporary performance practices, Nordic music history, modernization/modernism, and gender dynamics in composition.
• Recent Publications: 2024 economic analysis of music institutions, 2021 gender studies in composition, 2019 avant-garde critiques, and interdisciplinary explorations of physicality in performance.

Scientific Awards:

• Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo
• Research Fellow at Norwegian Academy of Music

Leadership & Collaborations: Project leader for Musical Modernization: Pauline Hall (1890–1969) (2006–2013) under NordART, and active in organizations like Ny Musikk. Her work bridges classical and contemporary music through biographical, performance, and discourse-oriented approaches.