Ingfrid Breie Nyhus (b 1978) is a Norwegian pianist and composer. Her work focuses on contemporary, compositional and improvisational practices, intertwining elements from different traditions.

She grew up in a folk music family, with the pols tradition from her father Sven Nyhus, and she made classical piano studies in Oslo, Helsinki and Hannover. The first years after studies, she worked extensively with classical and contemporary solo and chamber music. Critics early described her as «a virtuoso of timbre», with «luscious touch and rich nuances», being among the new generation of pianists «who really have something on their heart». As a classical pianist, she won awards such as The Norwegian Youth Piano Competition, and she was the first to receive The Norwegian Soloist Prize in 2005. The recording Grieg Peasant Dances op.72 was nominated for the Norwegian classical Grammy and awarded «Record of the Year» by the Great Britain Grieg Society in 2007, and the album Hardanger Fiddle in Art Music was also nominated for the Norwegian classical Grammy 2016. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and more with piano concertos from the classical and contemporary repertoire.

For the last 15 years, her work involves mainly compositional and improvisational processes, solo and in collaborations, letting her different musical backgrounds into play. In her music Slåttepiano, she recreates the sounds and forms of Norwegian slått traditions into a pianistic improvisatory world, a project that has received international acclaim, and that she regularly performs at international stages. The albums Slåttepiano and Slåttepiano II were both nominated for the Norwegian folk music award Folkelarmprisen in 2016 and 2021, and for the album Slåttepiano II she was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Composer Award in 2021, and the work was awarded «Work of the Year» from the Norwegian Composers’ Society in 2022. The album Unamna made together with Anne Hytta and Unni Løvlid was nominated for Folkelarmprisen, and the album won the Norwegian Grammy 2022 for contemporary music.

Ingfrid Breie Nyhus performs at folk, classical, contemporary and jazz festivals and scenes internationally. Visited venues include the FolkBaltica Festival (DK/DE), Donaueschinger Festspiele (DE), Umeå Jazz festival (SE), Copenhagen Jazz Festival (DK), ParmaJazz Frontiere Festival (IT), AngelicA Festival (IT), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Schwetzinger Festspiele (DE), King’s Place London (GB), Meidään Festivaali (FI), Lillenorge Berlin (DE), Bebersee Soireen (DE), Nordic Music Festival (DE), Theater am Spittelberg Wien (AU), Khimaira (SE), Båstad Chamber Music Festival (SE), Klang Festival (DK), Dark Music Days Reykjavik (IS), November Music (NL), Bergen International Festival (NO), Ultima Festival (NO), Punkt Festival (NO), Førde International Folk Festival (NO), Osafestivalen (NO), Røros Folk Festival (NO), Soddjazz (NO), Vreng (NO), Dype Åndedrag (NO), Risør Chamber Music Festival (NO), Oslo Chamber Music Festival (NO), Riksscenen (NO), Hardanger Festival (NO), Ilios Festival (NO), Periferien (NO), Gudbrandsdal Musikkfest (NO), Jørn Hilme-stevnet (NO), Avgarde (NO), Høstriss (NO), Sandvika Master Series (NO), Arctic Arts Festival (NO), Festspillene i Kristiansund (NO), Grønland Chamber Music Festival (NO), Nordland Music Fest (NO), Vinterfestspill (NO), and many more.

Ingfrid Breie Nyhus is Associate Professor in Contemporary Performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She has been Deputy Director of CEMPE (Centre for Excellence in Music Performance Education) at the Norwegian Academy of Music 2018-2023, she was Artistic Director of the chamber music festival Vinterfestspill in Røros 2015-2016, she has run the record company LabLabel since 2014, and she is active in boards and working groups within folk music, artistic research and higher music education. She holds a Ph.D in artistic research, “A Play with Traditions, interpreting and performing between folk and pianism” (2011-2016), and together with Live Maria Roggen she has led the artistic research project (un)Romantic – Improvising interpretation (2021-2024).