Eirik Hegdal (b. 1973) is a highly acclaimed Norwegian saxophonist and composer. Growing up in rural Norway, Hegdal moved to Trondheim to study at the Jazz Studies program at the NTNU University. The specialization in jazz at the NTNU University holds an extraordinary place in Norwegian musical life, and is celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019.

Upon completing his degree, Hegdal spent some years in Oslo before moving back to Trondheim in 2002 to take the prestigious job as Musical Director of the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Throughout his 15 years in the ensemble, Hegdal has composed and arranged a long list of works for both concerts and recordings. Most notably, perhaps, are his arrangements of music written by the great jazz musicians Dave Holland and Pat Metheny respectively, which he performed with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and the composers.
 
Hegdal composes for jazz and classical ensembles, including the Oslo Philharmonic and Vertavo Quartet, and has received several acknowledgements for his work as musician and composer, among them the Kongsberg Jazz Festival Great Musician Award, as well as being nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Award for the album Musical Balloon, to which he composed the music. Hegdal is an Associate Professor at the NTNU University’s Department of Music.
 
In addition to the above-mentioned work, Hegdal is leading several bands such as Team Hegdal and Følk, and is part of various ensembles. Upon moving back to Trondheim in 2002, Hegdal initiated his long-standing relationship with the classical cross-over ensemble Alpaca Ensembe, for which he has composed several works for both the ensemble and their various collaborators. Hegdal has indeed already composed for and performed with the Alpaca Ensemble at Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, first in 2010 with the work Elevator, and again in 2012 when he composed the music for the performance Mekatonia. Now, the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival and Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition has once again commissioned music from Hegdal – this time for the 2021 Chamber Music Competition for string quartets!