Svein Erik Martinsen

Norwegian guitarist and singer Svein Erik Martinsen is a versatile musician with a professional career as a frontman, sideman, composer and music teacher.

At the age of 6 he started playing the violin. Then the piano until one day his teacher suggested that he should quit due to lack of interest.

At the age of 11 he started playing the guitar and lack of interest was replaced by dedication to master the instrument. Inspired by jazz, blues, pop and rock greats like Wes Montgomery, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and Norwegian guitar hero Robert Norman. He started to take lessons from students at the Norwegian Academy of Music: Frode Berntzen, Georg Buljo, Arvid Solvang, Håvard Caspersen and Kåre Vestrheim.

In 2000 he was accepted at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and moved to Denmark where he studied with Bjarne Roupé, Jacob Fisher, Billy Cross, Henrik Andersen, Jens Skou Olsen, Flemming Agerskov, Lars Storck and many more...
In 2003 he was given a talent award from Gurli og Paul Madsens Fond. He got a master degree in 2005 as performing musician and music teacher. He moved back to Norway in 2010.