2008-2011

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

University of Southern California (USC)

Thornton School of Music

Los Angeles, CA

Studio/Jazz Guitar Department

Major: Guitar Performance

Academic Field: Music Education

Minor Fields: Jazz Performance and Music Industry 

2006-2008

Master of Music

University of Southern California (USC)

Thornton School of Music

Los Angeles, CA

Studio/Jazz Guitar Department

Major: Guitar Performance

2004

Encore Program

Musicians Institute/GIT

Hollywood, CA

2002-2003

Dual Bachelor’s Degree Exam

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Fine Arts, The Music Conservatory   

 Tromsø, Norway

Qualifying exam fulfilling the requirements for a dual Bachelors degree with a major in Electric Guitar

1999-2001

Postgraduate Course

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Fine Arts, The Music Conservatory   

Tromsø, Norway

  Master level Classical Guitar postgraduate course (most advanced course offered for instrumentalists)

1998-1999

Postgraduate Course

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Fine Arts, The Music Conservatory   

Tromsø, Norway

Music Technology

1997-1998

Postgraduate Course

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Fine Arts, The Music Conservatory   

Tromsø, Norway

Classical Accompaniment and Classical Guitar Performance

1994-1997

Bachelor of Music

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Fine Arts, The Music Conservatory   

Tromsø, Norway

Major: Classical guitar

Academic Field: Music Education

1991-1994

Upper Secondary School

Alta Videregående Skole, Musikklinja    

Alta, Norway

Major: Classical Guitar

STUDIES

Mike Stern  |  Russell Ferrante  |  Bob Mintzer  | 

Prof. Frank Potenza  |  Prof. Richard Smith  |

Carl Verheyen  |  Vic Juris  |  Steve Trovato  |  

Bruce Forman  |  Pat Kelley  |  Prof. Tom Mason  |

Dr. Sheila Woodward  |

2020-

Guitar Center

Westlake Village, California

Authoring curricular material for Guitar Center Education

2019

Guitar Center

Westlake Village, California

Consultant

Guitar Center Lesson Achievement Program

Produced 100+ pages of lesson guides for Guitar Center Education, the material is currently in use across all stores in the US among approximately 25,000 guitar students and 500 guitar instructors working for the chain store.

2019

Joe Satriani - Collaborative Masterclasses

Palm Springs, California

3 collaborative masterclasses over 3 days (each event 1.5 hours long). Promo videos were filmed in San Fransisco, California prior to the event.

2018

Steve Vai “Big Mama-Jama Jamathon

LiveHouse, Hollywood/California

53.5 hour music event, produced by Steve Vai and Stig Mathisen, with 100 performers

2015-

Dreamcatcher Guitar Camps

Clinic holder at numerous guitar events:

Steve Vai’s "Vai Academy" (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)

Joe Satriani’s "G4 Experience" (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)

Paul Gilbert’s "Great Guitar Escape" (2016)

John Petrucci’s “Guitar Universe" (2017, 2018, 2020)

Other clinic holders at these events include: Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Guthrie Govan, Al Di Meola, Zakk Wylde, Steve Morse, Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Warren Di Martini (Ratt), Neal Schon (Journey), Andy Timmons, Devin Townsend, Rick Nielson (Cheap Trick), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth), Bumblefoot (Guns’N Roses), Lari Basilio, Tony MacAlpine, Rusty Cooley, Jon Finn (Berklee professor), Jason Richardson, Bruce Bouillet (Racer X), Andy James, Mike Mangini (Dream Theater), Stu Hamm, Bryan Beller, Marco Minneman, Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs) and others.

2018-

The Guitarmy

Guitar awareness initiative founded by Joel Hellman, Stig Mathisen and Ryan Singer, with the intentions of spreading the love of all things guitar and guitar playing to new generations

2015-2018

Scott Henderson Online Course

Collaboration between Scott Henderson and Stig Mathisen, developing and producing an extensive online class based on Scott’s playing style.

2016-2018

Oz Noy Online Course

Collaboration between Oz Noy and Stig Mathisen, developing and producing an extensive online class based on Oz Noy's playing style.

2011-

Richard Smith/Stig Mathisen

Approximately 100 concerts performed in duo and band constellations with recording artist and USC professor Richard Smith. The duo toured in Australia in 2018 (clinics and concerts)

2015-

Guitar Town Festival

Copper Mountain, Colorado

Featured performer annually at the festival "Guitar Town" in Colorado, performing alongside some of the greatest guitarists in the world, such as Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Robben Ford, Lee Ritenour, John Jorgenson, etc

2011-2019

Soul Rising - Band

Band with original material that wrote, recorded and performed extensively in the Los Angeles area. Recorded and performed at some of the most prestigious venues in Los Angeles, such as The Troubadour, Whiskey a Go Go, The Viper Room, The Mint, Canyon Club, The Rose, Westlake Studios, Conway Studios, Revolver Studios, etc

2015

NAMM SHOW

Anaheim, California

Panel presentation: Todays Music Landscape

Today's music landscape has become increasingly dependent on technology, especially with millennial musicians. With these realities in mind, it is critical that manufacturers, dealers and music schools adapt their engagement approach, in order to to build real connections with our future musicians and industry leaders. This presentation will help you to seed tomorrow's music consumer through the use of custom branded educational content.

2014

APME CONFERENCE

(Association for Popular Music Education)

USC, Los Angeles, California.

​

Panel presentation:

The Synergistic Music Education Model

How combining a performance school with an industry school can prepare a student beyond their specific discipline, and how it creates a dynamic larger than the sum of its parts.

Today’s artist needs to wear many hats, as the single discipline model has come and gone. For example, a guitar player today needs to understand theory, notation, contracts, DAW's, gear, budgets, acoustics and anything else that will give him or her an edge in today's fast paced music world. By combining the strengths of a performance and industry school, students walk away with a more globalized perspective of their industry and a stronger understanding of the needs required to make it as a contemporary musician.

2011

MI Guitar Online Course

Authored more than 100 pages of curriculum plus filmed videos for MI’s Online School

2006-2009

iperform3d.com/Steve Trovato 

Designing guitar lessons and filming 3D-instructional videos for a web-
based education company affiliated with Guitar Center.

2007-2010

Alcatrazz Reunion 

Reunion of the legendary rock band Alcatrazz. The project included writing, producing and recording new material and performing live (under the name Ashdown)

1994-2006

Numerous Projects, Concerts, etc

Norway and the US