Kjetil Bjerkestrand (born 18 May 1955) is a Norwegian keyboardist, composer, arranger and record producer known as music arranger for artists like Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Keith Emerson, Ian Hunter, Jon Lord, Ute Lemper and a-ha.
As a musician, he has participated in recordings with a-ha, Ray Charles, Ute Lemper, Ian Hunter, Dance with a Stranger, DumDum Boys, Jonas Fjeld Band, Marius Müller, TNT, Arve Tellefsen, Bobbysocks, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Carola Häggkvist and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
[1] As the son and grandson of organists, playing the organ came naturally to Bjerkestrand and he started early to compose music as well.
He arranged the music for concerts by Sissel Kyrkjebø in Salt Lake City, in front of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra.
In 2009, Bjerkestrand composed music for the play Sangen om den røde rubin, based on the novel by the same name, together with Anne Grete Preus.