Trine Knutsen studied for three years at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 1988 before she got a permanent job as a flutist in the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. In parallel with the orchestral work she completed studies at the graduate and diploma level at Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen, Germany with Prof. Matthias Rütters.

Trine Knutsen held her debut concert in the University Aula in Oslo in the autumn of 1992, and was a prize winner at the Princess Astrid Music Award in Trondheim in the autumn of 1993. Knutsen left the Bergen Philharmonic in 1996 and went to Trondheim. In the autumn of 1999, she was appointed associate professor in wind instrument studies at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim (Department of Music at NTNU).

She has on several occasions been a soloist with the Trondheim Soloists, including a tour in Spain, and several regional tours. On October 3, Knutsen was a soloist in Krysztof Penderecki's flute concerto with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, with the composer himself conducting. She premiered a suite in ten movements for solo flutes at the opening of St Olavs festival 2010. In November 2014 the was the soloist in Arne Nordheim's Tractatud with Trondheim Sinfonietta. She plays regularly in the Trondheim Sinfonietta, the Mid-Norwegian Chamber Ensemble, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Trondheim Windquintet etc.