Mette Henriette is a Sámi-Norwegian composer, improvising saxophonist and bandleader working across creative disciplines.

With a gravitation towards the unknown, she was shaped by diverse experiences in her early years—from her studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music and the School for Improvisational Music in New York to musical travels through Tajikistan and West Africa.

Her debut on ECM Records, Mette Henriette (2015), is a double album of original music for trio and large ensemble produced by Manfred Eicher. The release received international acclaim and The Guardian described her as “a contemporary music star on the rise”. Her second album, Drifting (2023), was named Best Record of the Year by DownBeat.

Touring internationally for over a decade, Mette Henriette has performed at venues such as Barbican Hall, Berliner Festspiele, Dark Mofo, documenta14, Flagey, Moldejazz, Musée d’Orsay, Oslo Opera House, Ultima International Contemporary Festival, Rewire, Riddu Riddu and Atlanta Jazz Festival. She creates lighting design and scenography for her live performances, sculpting a spatial and visual dramaturgy in dialogue with her music.

Her orchestral cycle Overture I—III (2020) was commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic and premiered under Klaus Mäkelä. Each of the three works can be performed individually or as part of the full cycle. They have since been performed by The Hallé at The Bridgewater Hall and the Norwegian Academy of Music’s Symphony Orchestra. She has also composed a string orchestra work for Arctic Philharmonic, along with chamber and solo pieces for Cikada and violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing.

In 2022, she contributed as writer, composer and actress in the Sámi short film Háldi, which premiered at the opening of the National Museum of Norway and toured 15 international film festivals. She also contributed to the award-winning book only an instant published by Munch Museum.

She has collaborated with artists such as Marina Abramovic, Anton Corbijn, Nicolas Jaar, Jo Strømgren, Camille Norment, Valgeir Sigurdsson and Radik Tülüsh of Huun-Huur-Tu.

In 2023, she served as a mentor at the Montreux Jazz Festival Residency.