Stein-Erik Olsen is one of the most important European guitarists working today. He has performed, toured, and recorded internationally for over forty years. He has commissioned major works from significant composers, including solo works, chamber music, and concertos. He was educated at the Bergen Conservatory of Music and the Norwegian State Academy of Music. His post-graduate teachers included Alexandre Lagoya, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, and the Czech pianist, Jiri Hlinka. His debut recital at Wigmore Hall, London, merited high praise from the critics, and his various recordings have been critically acclaimed world-wide. A champion of contemporary music, Stein-Erik Olsen has had a variety of works dedicated to him by eminent composers including Ketil Hvoslef, Olav Berg, John Duarte, Nikita Koshkin, Noel Zahler, and Stepan Rak. Many of these works are featured on his recordings for Simax. Stand out recordings include: ‘Havana – Rio – Moscow’, an album of concertos by Brouwer, Villa-Lobos, and Koshkin, with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; and ‘Seonveh’ featuring works by Ketil Hvoslef, including the concerto for flute, guitar, and string orchestra, and the guitar quintet. He is currently professor of classical guitar at the Grieg Academy, Department of Music, University of Bergen, a position he has held for more than twenty years. www.steinerikolsen.com - written by Stephen Goss