Ketil Bjørnstad (born April 25, 1952 in Oslo) is a Norwegian pianist and composer. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at a young age and has enthusiastically embraced the emergence of 'European jazz'. Although perhaps best known as an artist on the ECM record label, Bjørnstad is also an accomplished writer, having published some 20 books (predominantly novels) and a number of poetry and essay collections. Ketil Bjørnstad made his debut with the Oslo Philharmonic in 1969, 16 years old, playing Bartok nr.