Gisle Kverndokk studied composition with Olav Anton Thommessen, Lasse Thoresen and Alfred Janson at The Norwegian State Academy of Music, where he received his Master's degree in 1994, and with John Corigliano and David Diamond at The Juilliard School in New York. In 1994 he attended the BMI Earl Hagen Film Scoring Workshop in Hollywood.

At the age of 15 he wrote a radio opera commissioned by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and performed by The Norwegian Radio Orchestra and soloists from The Norwegian Opera. The Norwegian State Academy of Music premiered his first full-scale opera «The Falcon Tower» in 1990. His next opera "George's Marvellous Medicine" had its premiere by Kristiansund Opera in 1995, and was awarded Work of the Year by The Norwegian Composers Society. It has since then been produced by The Norwegian Opera in Oslo, Opera Vest in Bergen, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and was presented at The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany 1997. The Norwegian Broadcasting Company has also produced it as a radio production.

All the major orchestras in Norway, as well as The Riverside Orchestra and The Juilliard Orchestra in New York have performed his works. His "Selene" for orchestra (premiered in Alice Tully Hall, New York 1992 by The Juilliard Orchestra) was among the winners of The Juilliard Composers Competition 1992, and "Initiation" for violin and orchestra (premiered at The Bergen International Music Festival 1993 by The Norwegian State Academy Orchestra) won 1. Prize in the competition for composers under 30 years in The 1993 Paris ROSTRUM. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra premiered his Oboe Concerto in 1996 and his Flute Concerto in November 1998. The season 1999-2000 he was "Composer of the year" with The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra.

"Peer Gynt Fantasy" (2001), a TV-ballet, commissioned by The Norwegian State Broadcasting Company, was premiered on national television by Arve Tellefsen and The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and broadcasted world wide, by the EBU network. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra also premiered his concerto for violin, piano and orchestra , "The Crystal Cabinet" in February 2003, and the concert ouverture "The whirls of the witches" in November 2006, as part of the 100 anniversary celebrations of Norsk Hydro.

He has written musicals for children, music for several theatre plays, revues and ballets. His musical "Sophie's World" was premiered at the Schlossfestspiele Ettlingen, Germany, in 1998. The Norwegian premiere was in Oslo 1999. It was released on cd internationally in August 1998 by Universal.
His musical, "Vincent" had its world premiere in Ettlingen, Germany, in June 2001.
The radio opera "Bokken Lasson – stumbling success", commissioned by The Norwegian State Broadcasting Company, won the Prix Italia 2000. His musical "Dangerous Liaisons" had its world premiere at Theater Pforzheim, Germany, in December 2002, and the musical "Homeless" was premiered at The Norwegian Theatre, October 2003.

Kverndokk's opera "The fourth Watch of the Night" based on Johan Falkberget's novel "Den fjerde nattevakt" was premiered at The Norwegian Opera, November 2005. His newest opera "Around the World in 80 Days" will be the opening production of the new opera house in Oslo, April 2008.

Kverndokk has also written the music for the Danish film, "Chinaman", produced by Fine & Mellow in 2005.

Kverndokk is flutist, pianist and conductor. He has been music director of several opera- and musical productions in Norway and Germany, and in 1994 he was assistant music director for the workshop "20th Century Opera and Song" at The Banff Centre in Canada. In 1995 he was music director for the opera-company "Current Sound OPERAtions" in Vancouver, and with the ensemble created and performed the experimental music-theatre piece "Bedlam Voices".
He was awarded Anders Jahre's Cultural Prize for Young Artists and Wilhelm Hansen's Legacy in 1997. In 1999 he received The Lily Boulanger Memorial Fund from Boston University.