Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø
acoustic and amplified trombone


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Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø is a musician and sound artist based in Berlin and Trondheim, focusing on trombone performance and a wide range of compositional and cross disciplinary projects. He chose the brass tubes already at the age of eight, and has done extensive research into both the boisterous and brassy side of the instrument, as well as its counterpoint in microscopic sound possibilities, utilizing de-selection as a central process. Nørstebø is closing in on his 15th year of extensive international touring and has released a number of records, spanning from solo to large groups. In addition to extensive solo work, which currently explores amplified trombone in combination with various noise generators, his collaborative projects include duos with Audrey Chen (BEAM SPLITTER), Daniel Lercher and JD Zazie, large group Skadedyr, new music ensemble Aksiom and a myriad of collaborations with improvisers, visual artists, dancers, entities from around the world.


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Born 1986 in Trondheim, Norway, Nørstebø chose the trombone and began playing in the local marching band at the age of seven (not really knowing what he had gotten himself into). A few years later, discovering improvisation as a method and source of exciting sounds lead further down the rabbit hole. Being fully committed to- but still having mixed emotions about the primitive construction of brass tubes has led him to actively utilize the trombone's crudeness as a creative challenge and vehicle to unearth its seemingly limitless possibilities, leading to extensive research into both the boisterous and brassy side of the instrument, as well as its counterpoint in microscopic and ‘electronic’ sound possibilities. Through this technical distillation process, he has developed a vast personal sound vocabulary, spanning from pure tones to noise and the almost inaudible.

Seeking a balance between intuitive- and carefully constructed material, he has gradually been developing a more holistic sound practice and approach, that is based on the meeting of human personalities rather than specific musics. His evolving interchangeable setup is based on combining the power of brass tubes with external sound sources like half-clarinet, objects and various noise generators, occasionally also including visual elements.

Nørstebø started his solo trajectory in 2007, and has since undergone solo tours in Europe, USA and Australia. His first record (“SOLO”, 2011) contained widely different stream of consciousness improvisations, while his second solo release (“Melting into foreground”, 2015) was more of a compositional work, focusing on the inner energy of sound and the tension between empty and filled spaces. In his current set up, Nørstebø is utilizing heavy close amplification alongside acoustic elements, producing a multi-faceted body of sound. His third solo record, “Dystopian dancing” will be released in the fall of 2022.

Working projects include: the amplified voice and trombone duo BEAM SPLITTER with Audrey Chen, a duo with Austrian sound artist Daniel Lercher, the longstanding all-in improvising unit Lana trio and a duo with experimental turntablist JD Zazie.

He has toured actively since 2010, and played at clubs and festivals all over Europe, as well as in Russia, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Argentina. Festival performances include a.o. : Huddersfield contemporary music festival (UK), A l’arme! festival (Berlin/DE), Gogolfest (Kiev/UA), Fete quaqua (London/UK), Nattjazz (Bergen/NO), Jazzfest Berlin (DE), Kongsberg jazzfestival (NO), Festival Akouphene (Geneva/CH), Maerzmusik (Berlin/DE), Citadelic festival (Ghent/BE), Angelica festival (Bologna/IT), V:NM festival (Graz/AT), Joyful noise (Biel/CH), Music Unlimited (Wels/AT), Borealis (Bergen/NO), Brand! festival (Mechelen/BE), CTM festival (Berlin/DE), Zoom in festival (Bern/CH), Avant art festival (Warsaw/PL), Simultan festival (Timisoara/RO), Umeå jazzfestival (Umeå/SE), Météo festival (Mulhouse/FR), Gothenburg art sounds (SE), SoundOut (Canberra/AU) and Ultima contemporary music festival (Oslo,NO).

Nørstebø is also an experienced ensemble player, having performed live and on recordings stretching from the fairest pop to the strangest noise. He is a founding member of Oslo based new music ensemble "Aksiom", and has released three records with the 12-piece freejazzpop-band "Skadedyr". He has also appeared in groups like Johan Lindvall's "Torg" (Jazzland), Mette Henriette "Ø" (ECM), Trondheim jazz orchestra, Dan Peter Sundland elevenette and Nate Wooley's "Seven storey mountain V".


Educated in improvised music and jazz from the music academies in Gothenburg (BA) and Oslo (MA), he is based in Berlin and Trondheim.

” (...) On both pieces, Nørstebø keeps his compositional structures clear through a balanced use of filled and empty space. The silences he allows between passages of sound tend to act as boundaries separating sections into disjunctive events defined by dramatic changes in timbre as well as in organization and dynamics. And despite his deliberate distorting and dismantling of the trombone’s conventional voice, he allows a fundamental warmth to pervade both performances.”
- Avant music news, Daniel Barbiero (USA)