Dan Styffe

Dan Styffe has extensive experience as a soloist and chamber musician. He has released several solo albums and appears as a soloist on numerous recordings with orchestras and other ensembles.

Styffe studied with Göran Nyberg, Knut Guettler, and Gary Karr, serving as an assistant to Karr from 1981 to 1982. After completing his studies, he worked as principal bassist in the opera orchestra at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and later with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. As of 2017, he is the alternate principal bassist of the Oslo Philharmonic. He performs on a Gasparo da Salo double bass from the late 1500s, generously provided by Dextra Musica.

He regularly collaborates with international musicians, including violist Catherine Bullock, pianist Gonzalo Moreno, and cellist Øystein Birkeland. In 2011, he recorded duets with violinist Peter Herresthal and was a long-time member of the chamber ensemble Borealis. Styffe also gives masterclasses worldwide and serves as a juror for several international double bass competitions.

Styffe has commissioned and premiered numerous works for double bass, both solo and chamber pieces, by Norwegian and international composers. In April 2011, he premiered and recorded Rolf Martinsson’s Concerto No. 1 with the Oslo Philharmonic, and later that year recorded Fredrik Högberg’s concerto Hitting the First Bass with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, having premiered the work with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.

He has released five solo CDs on the SIMAX Classics label and one on Fabra, all receiving international acclaim. Additionally, he has recorded for the British labels Campion and Prima Facie, and participated in numerous chamber music and orchestral recordings, as well as rock and jazz projects.

Learn more about Dan Styffe at danstyffe.com