Skaarbrevik from Aalesund, Norway has a Bachelor degree from Berklee College of Music, Boston. He had studies in composition, music technology and studied guitar with Mick Goodrich. Skaarbrevik holds a master degree from the Norwegian Music Academy. Here he studied composition and orchestration with Henrik Hellstenius and Asbjørn Schaatun and at Notam (Norwegian center for technology in music and the arts). He also has a master degree from University of Surrey where he studied with Milton Mermikides, Bill Thompson and Steve Goss.
Skaarbrevik has performed with many contemporary music performers and improvisers, such as Christian Wolff (US), Pauline Oliveros (US), Frode Hatli, Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, Else Olsen Storesund, Guro Skumsnes Moe,Lisa Dillan and Michael Duch among others.
His album “Assemblage” explored the usage of musical collage art. Combining different musical social arenas into layers and he collaborated with Stian Omenås and Ålesund String quartet. The use of musical collages is something he continued to explore on the album M.R.S.T. with Bjørn Thevik.