Olav Torgeir Kopsland

Olav Torgeir Kopsland is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist whose command of stringed instruments — from electric guitar to pedal steel, lap steel, mandolin, banjo, and ukulele — makes him one of the most versatile players in the Scandinavian blues and roots community.

Kopsland announced himself on the competitive blues scene by winning the National Blues Guitar Competition at Notodden in both 2006 and 2008 — back-to-back titles that marked him as a guitarist of exceptional ability. The wins brought national recognition and established him as one of Norway's premier blues guitar voices.

As a bandleader, Kopsland fronts The Boots Band, an outfit that channels his broad musical palette into a sound that moves fluidly between blues, Americana, and roots music. His multi-instrumental skills give the band a textural richness that sets it apart from more conventional blues acts, with lap steel and pedal steel adding a distinctive flavour rooted in country blues and early American music traditions.

In the studio, Kopsland is a sought-after session musician whose credits span some of Norway's most prominent recording artists. He has contributed guitar work to recordings by Claudia Scott, Little Andrew, and Kurt Nilsen — collaborations that demonstrate both his adaptability and the high regard in which he is held by fellow musicians across genres.

Since January 2024, Kopsland has served as guitar lecturer at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) in Notodden, stepping into the role previously held by the late Morten Omlid. The position places him at the heart of Europe's only university-level blues programme — founded by Espen Fjelle in 2018 — where he is helping to train the next generation of blues and roots guitarists.

Between the stage, the studio, and the lecture hall, Olav Torgeir Kopsland embodies the depth and breadth of Norway's blues scene — a musician equally at home performing, recording, and passing the tradition forward.