Bendik Hofseth
Bendik Hofseth (born 19 October 1962) is a Norwegian jazz musician and a professor with the University of Agder. In 2026, he was appointed Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his contributions to Norwegian and international musical life.
Bendik Hofseth

Tore Sætre · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Bendik Hofseth
- Born
- 19 October 1962
- Birthplace
- Oslo, Norway
- Occupation
- Musician, composer
- Nationality
- Norway
- Fields
- jazz
- Honours
- Gammleng Award · Årets verk · Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav
- Languages
- Norwegian
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Bendik Hofseth (born 19 October 1962) is a Norwegian jazz musician and a professor with the University of Agder. In 2026, he was appointed Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his contributions to Norwegian and international musical life.
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Note VALÉORINE
Bendik Hofseth (born 1962) is a composer, jazz musician and producer, among other activities, of Norwegian nationality. The composer was born in Lørenskog. Bendik Hofseth is a member of Jon Eberson Group, Steps Ahead and Tacoma Bridge.
The work spans jazz. Languages used include Norwegian. Honours include Årets verk and Gammleng Award.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
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wikidata · Q326515 · wikipedia · Bendik Hofseth
In this article
Biography
Biography
Hofseth plays the saxophone, sings, and arranges and composes music. He is also a band leader and a producer.

Bendik Hofseth at the Munch museum, Norway, 2025
Birgit Fostervold
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Bendik Hofseth • Born — 19 October 1962 • Birthplace — Oslo, Norway • Origin — Norway • Instrument — Saxophone, vocals • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — Musician, composer • Illustration — Bendik Hofseth is a protégé of Mike Mainieri. Here both are at a concert on Cosmopolite Scene in Oslo in 2016.
Career
Career
Hofseth was born in Oslo. In 1986, while in his early twenties, he moved from Lørenskog, Norway, to New York City. Soon after, he replaced saxophonist Michael Brecker in the band Steps Ahead. Along with Steps Ahead, he has toured worldwide several times since 1987. In 1994, Hofseth presented the commission Metamorfoser at Vossajazz. The piece was written for the Norwegian "Rikskonsertene" and was performed on concert tours in 1994. The concert at Rockefeller in Oslo was recorded and the music released in 1995, with Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), Eivind Aarset (guitar), Anders Jormin (double bass), Talvin Singh (tablas) and Jon Christensen (percussion). Hofseth has released fifteen albums under his own name, and has through the years received numerous awards and honors for them. He has also worked as a record producer for among others Jan Eggum and Kenneth Sivertsen. In addition, he has composed numerous commissioned works, film music and founded a chamber music festival in Fredrikstad. During the period 2000–2020 he held key positions in Norwegian and international music organizations. As the leader of The International Council of Music Creators, CIAM (Le Conseil International des Créateurs de Musique) he represented 2.6 million composers and lyricists worldwide. He has also served as chairman of NOPA, by:Larm, and Phonofile, and was the director of TONO and NcB. Hofseth also work as musical instructor and teacher, and is employed by the University of Agder, where he is central to the development of a new course in Music Management. Here, he is also responsible for the conference "Challenge of the New".
Solo
Solo
• IX (Columbia, 1991) • Amuse Yourself (Columbia, 1993) • Metamorphoses (Sonet/Verve, 1995) • Planets, Rivers and...Ikea (Verve Forecast, 1996) • Colours (Sonet/Verve, 1997) • Smilets Historie (Sonet, 1999) • Itaka (Grappa, 2005) • XI (Grappa, 2009) • Children & Cosmopolitans (JazzCode, 2015) • Atonement (C+C, 2018) • Trunks (C+C, 2020) • Roots (C+C, 2021) • Branches (C+C, 2021) • Pollen & Leaves (C+C, 2023) • Lux ex Lacrimis (C+C, 2024)
With others
With others
• Michael Villmow's KBB, Köln Big Band featuring Bendik Hofseth & Chad Wackerman: N (1991, Lipstick records) • Bendik Hofseth, Anne-Lise Berntsen, Helge Iberg: Ludo (1997, Kirkelig Kulturverksted) • Bendik Hofseth, Jacob Young, Mats Eilertsen, Paolo Vinaccia with Mike Mainieri: The Maze (2016, Oslo Session Recordings) • Paolo Vinaccia, Jacob Young, Bendik Hofseth: Rathkes gate 12:21:58 (2017, Oslo Session Recordings) • Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal + Bendik Hofseth: Smilets Historie LIVE (2023)
With Steps Ahead
With Steps Ahead
• N.Y.C. (Capitol, Intuition 1989) • Yin-Yang (NYC, 1992)
With Arild Andersen
With Arild Andersen
• Sagn (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1990) • Arv (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1994) • Hyperborean (ECM, 1997)
With Jan Eggum
With Jan Eggum
• Underveis (Grappa, 1991) • Nesten Ikke Tilstede (Grappa, 1993) • Kjaerlighet & AErlighet 2 (Grappa, 2011) • Kjaerlighet & AErlighet 3 (Grappa, 2011)
With Bjorn Eidsvag
With Bjorn Eidsvag
• Pa Leit (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1984) • Bjorn's Beste (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1985) • Dansere I Natten (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1986) • Allemannsland (Norsk, 1993)
With Helge Iberg
With Helge Iberg
• Never Ending West Side Story (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1997) • Halvveis (Curling Legs, 2000) • ReHumaniZing (Aurora, 2007) • A Musical Offering (Odin, 2017)
With Anne Grete Preus
With Anne Grete Preus
• Lav Sol! Hoy Himmel (WEA, 1989) • Millimeter (WEA, 1994) • Om Igjen for Forste Gang (Warner, 2007)
With Oystein Sevag
With Oystein Sevag
• Close Your Eyes and See (Siddhartha Spiritual, 1989) • Link (Siddhartha Spiritual, 1993) • Global House (Siddhartha Spiritual, 1994) • Caravan (Siddhartha Spiritual, 2005) • The Red Album (Siddhartha Spiritual, 2010)
Others
Others
• Ab und Zu: Ab und Zu (EMI, 1989) • Maj Britt Andersen: Folk Er Rare! (Barneselskapet, 1986) • Maj Britt Andersen: Tida Gar Sa Altfor Fort (Barneselskapet, 1987) • Rebekka Bakken: Is That You? (Boutique/Universal, 2005) • Jan Bang: Frozen Feelings (CBS, 1989) • Ragnar Bjerkreim & Edvard Hoem: Oratoriet Kong David (Lynor/Trembling, 2004) • Christina Bjordal: Brighter Days (Universal, 2006) • Ketil Bjornstad: Grace (EmArcy, 2001) • Brother to Brother: Materialize (WEA, 1990) • Jonas Fjeld: Texas Jensen (Stageway, 1993) • Christer Fredriksen: Urban Country (Losen, 2011) • Inger Marie Gundersen: Feels Like Home (Stunt, 2018) • Ciwan Haco: Bilura Min (Kom Muzik, 1997) • Ciwan Haco: Derya Ses (Plak, 2003) • Morten Harket: Wild Seed (Warner Bros., 1995) • Finn Kalvik: Livets Lyse Side (Carat, 2000) • Hanne Krogh: Hanne (Sonet, 1989) • Tony Levin: World Diary Discipline (Global Mobile, 1995) • Mike Mainieri: Northern Lights (NYC, 2006) • Andrea Marcelli: Oneness (Lipstick, 1993) • Hans Mathisen: Moving Forward (Curling Legs, 2019) • Silje Nergaard: Nightwatch (Universal/EmArcy, 2003) • Silje Nergaard: Chain of Days (Okeh, 2015) • Oslo Gospel Choir: Get Up! (RCA, 1994) • Lakki Patey: Eventyrland (Honepress, 1985) • Kjetil Saunes: Fyr (Grappa, 1996) • Andy Summers: World Gone Strange (Private Music, 1991) • Pal Thowsen: Sympathy (NorDisc, 1983) • Jimi Tunnell: Trilateral Commission (101 South, 1992) • Jacob Young: This Is You (NORCD, 1995) • Jacob Young: Glow (Curling Legs, 2001) • Bertine Zetlitz: Morbid Latenight Show (Parlophone, 1998)
Identity
Identity
Bendik Hofseth is recorded with the occupation jazz musician. Classed in the genre jazz. Recorded as jazz musician, composer, saxophonist, singer and producer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1962
Bendik Hofseth was born on 19 October 1962.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Bendik Hofseth”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q326515: Bendik Hofseth
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Utnevnelse til St. Olavs Orden. www.kongehuset.no. 2026-04-13.
- 2.Stendahl, Bjørn. Bendik Hofseth Biography. Norsk Biografisk Leksikon. Kunnskapsforlaget.
- 3.Hammerø, Tor. Bendik Hofseth: Itaka Review. Puls.no. 1 September 2005.
- 4.Andersson, Adrian Førde. Ny teknologi og nye forretningsmodeller. Norsk biografisk leksikon. 23 February 2012.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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General reference
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People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Born at
1- LørenskogPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Recognition and collections. Hofseth received Gammleng Award, Årets verk and Knight First Class of the Order of St.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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