It has been said that Stian Westerhus has little or no respect for his guitar, but it can certainly be argued that he has no respect for music in general. Stian Westerhus has been at the forefront of his generation for the last twenty years, pushing boundaries and broadening the perception of our musical heritage.
Played intimately, as a part of his own body, the expressive performance and voice of Stian break down the barriers between the electric guitar and the solo performer and change the musical meaning.
Westerhus is best known for his solo performances, but he has also been a very sought-after musician for many years and has performed with Ulver, Pale Horses, Monolithic, Supersilent, John Paul Jones, Puma, Jaga Jazzist, Nils Petter Molvær, Sidsel Endresen, Punkt, Arve Henriksen, Warped Dreamer, Motorpsycho, Fire!, Colin Stetson, EX EYE, Thomas Lehn, Marcus Schmickler, Jennifer Walshe, Maja Ratkje, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Philharmonie Zuidnederland and many, many others.
Westerhus has released highly acclaimed albums on Rune Grammofon and House of Mythology and several releases received awards and nominations for the Norwegian Grammy Awards.
Stian Westerhus is also a highly sought-after composer and he has written works through commissions for the Britten Sinfonia (UK), Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (N), Philharmonie Zuidnederland (NL), ULTIMA festival (N) and others.
Westerhus has also collaborated with visual artists such as AK Dolven and others, with works exhibited at Tate Modern (UK), Galleri OSL (N), OCAT Shanghai (CN) and Galleri Anhava, Helsinki (FI).
Westerhus also works with film and photography and has a recording studio in Oslo, Pitch-Black Star-Spangled Studio.
Stian Westerhus has a doctorate in Artistic Research from NTNU, Trondheim (N) and occasionally runs workshops and seminars.