Torfi Ólafsson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland on November 8, 1955.
He grew up in Kópavogi, and at age 8 studied guitar at the music school there for four years. Trumpet and horns were the instuments which he played in his school band when it was formed in 1966 until 1971. In 1975, he obtained a degree from MT with a B.E.D. from KHÍ in 1980.
Torfi has been in the music business since 1972 and is still very active in the industry today.
He started a guitar school, "Gítarskóli" (gitarskoli.com) in Iceland in 1993 along with Tryggvi Hubner. He has taught there as well as in other schools since 1981.
There have been over 50 concertos composed by him, of which 40 of them are written to poems by National Poets of Iceland.
Many of his work can be heard on albums such as Árnesingakórsins in Reykjavík, Rangæingakórsins, Kvennaskólans in Reykjavík. "The first 15 years" selection by Skífan. "Seen and heard" the best of Pálmi Gunnarsson. The world and I in 1998, Songs of the land in 1990 and much more.
There have been 10 albums which have been released over the years with some of Torfi´s arrangements as well as collaborations with other Icelandic artists.