Olav Luksengård Mjelva comes from Røros in the Sør-Trøndelag region of Norway. He began playing the fiddle at age seven and some years later started playing the Hardanger fiddle. Olav is a founding member of both the Norwegian/Swedish ensemble SVER, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, a trio specialising in Norwegian, Swedish and Shetland fiddle music and also the Rydvall/Mjelva duo alongside Swedish Nyckelharpa player Erik Rydvall with whom they have received several awards.