BIO
synopsis
philosophy
guitar
writing
education
Dr. Stig Mathisen is a guitarist and educator from Northern Norway. He has resided in Los Angeles for 15 years, working as the Chair of the Guitar Program (GIT) at Musicians Institute, in addition to being involved in numerous music related projects.
​
A passionate explorer and a relentless seeker of all knowledge pertaining to guitar, improvisation, composition, music history and music philosophy, he has been on a quest since his formative years to discover the inner mechanics and the deeper secrets of music.
An eclectic guitarist by nature, Stig is equally comfortable with rock, jazz and classical music, and has rubbed shoulders with numerous world-class musicians over the years, such as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Robben Ford, Lee Ritenour, Zakk Wylde, Peter Erskine, Stuart Hamm, Jonathan Mover, John Jorgenson and many others. He has also been a clinic holder at Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert's guitar camps yearly since 2015, with participation at more guitar camps coming up in 2020 and beyond.
As an author, Stig has written core curriculum books for Musicians Institute, and has been a co-author on several books. These books are published through WBH Musicworks.
Stig has a Masters and a Doctoral degree in guitar performance from University of Southern California, where he graduated with numerous awards for outstanding achievements. He studied Classical guitar at Tromso University for over 6 years, and has worked extensively as a freelance guitarist and University lecturer in both Norway and in the US.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
01
EDUCATION
02
ACADEMIC AWARDS
03
04
PROJECTS