Martin Wåhlberg

Martin Wåhlberg is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), located in the Department of Language and Literature under the Faculty of Humanities. He holds a Master’s from Sorbonne Université, training in historical music performance from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, and a PhD jointly from NTNU and Sorbonne Université. He has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford and Università di Pisa.

His research focuses on 18th-century French literature, music, and anthropology, with a particular emphasis on opéra-comique and its socio-political contexts during the French Revolution. He co-leads the Classical Ages Research Group at NTNU and leads the 'Revolutionary opéra-comique' project funded by the Research Council of Norway. His work bridges literary analysis, musicology, and cultural history, with notable contributions including La Scène de musique dans le roman du XVIIIe siècle (2015) and Opplysningens sorte får (2011).

Wåhlberg’s research has been recognized with awards such as the Prix jeune chercheur (2009) for his anthropological study of Enlightenment hospitality myths and the Young Researcher Prize from the Royal Norwegian Society of Science and Letters (2011). His music performance initiatives, including CD recordings like Le Roman des Lumières (2013) and Raoul Barbe Bleue (2018), have garnered international acclaim, including CHOC Classica and BBC Music Magazine recognitions.

He has spearheaded international networks like the Favart network for opéra-comique studies and collaborates with Sorbonne Université on a Parisian opéra-comique performance database. His interdisciplinary work intersects literary studies, musicology, and cultural history, reflecting a commitment to both scholarly rigor and public cultural engagement.