After a year at Sund folkehøgskole, he attended the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1995–98), where he established the band Dingobats, with Njål Ølnes (tenor saxophone), Thomas Dahl (guitar), Mats Eilertsen (bass) and Sverre Gjørvad (drums), primarily playing Hegdals compositions.
He later toock over as leader of the «Trondheim Jazz Orchestra», after pianist Erlend Skomsvoll.
In 2006 he performed the commissioned work for the «Trondheim Jazz Orchestra», Space is still the place with the US saxophonist Joshua Redman as guest soloist.

In 2002, Hegdal with drummer Tor Haugerud, started a collaboration with the classic piano trio «Alpaca Trio», consisting of Else Bø (piano), Sigrid Elisabeth Stang (violin) and Marianne Baudouin Lie (cello).
The group works with compositions by Hegdal in the intersection of improvisation and contemporary music, and released under the band name «Alpaca Ensemble» the EP Skråpanel and an album Tapet Tapet!,
both in 2007.
In 2010 came a tentet edition of the same ensemble piece Elevator, a collaboration between Hegdal and poet Matt Burt, with an album release from the premiere performance at «Trondheim Kammermusikkfestival» i 2008.
After a year at Sund folkehøgskole, he attended the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1995–98), where he established the band Dingobats, with Njål Ølnes (tenor saxophone), Thomas Dahl (guitar), Mats Eilertsen (bass) and Sverre Gjørvad (drums), primarily playing Hegdals compositions. He later toock over as leader of the «Trondheim Jazz Orchestra», after pianist Erlend Skomsvoll.In 2006 he performed the commissioned work for the «Trondheim Jazz Orchestra», Space is still the place with the US saxophonist Joshua Redman as guest soloist.
In 2002, Hegdal with drummer Tor Haugerud, started a collaboration with the classic piano trio «Alpaca Trio», consisting of Else Bø (piano), Sigrid Elisabeth Stang (violin) and Marianne Baudouin Lie (cello). The group works with compositions by Hegdal in the intersection of improvisation and contemporary music, and released under the band name «Alpaca Ensemble» the EP Skråpanel and an album Tapet Tapet!, both in 2007. In 2010 came a tentet edition of the same ensemble piece Elevator, a collaboration between Hegdal and poet Matt Burt, with an album release from the premiere performance at «Trondheim Kammermusikkfestival» i 2008.
Eirik Hegdal