Trina Basu

Violin, composition

Trina Basu (she/her) is a violinist, improviser, composer and teacher based in New York City. Born and raised in Miami, FL to parents of Canadian and Indian origin, Trina’s sound brings together her early influences of Western classical music, American folk music, and Indian classical raga into dialogue with jazz and improvised music to stunning effect. Her singular and expansive music has been described as "a dynamic sonic blend of uncommon mesmeric beauty" (All About Jazz) and "free-flowing, globe-spanning" (The New Yorker). Basu’s creative practice is grounded in the belief that music is a healing force. In addition to co-leading both Nakshatra, a duo project with Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy, and Karavika with cellist Amali Premawardhana, Basu harnesses her background in music therapy and education to bring the power of music to schools, prisons, and hospitals.

Basu’s bold and cross-cultural sound make her a much sought-after collaborator for dancers, poets and visual artists in various multidisciplinary projects.

She has performed on stages like Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and the Newport Jazz Festival with esteemed artists like Mos Def, Urban Bush Women, Gil Scott Heron, Taylor Mac, Dr. John, Reggie Workman, Adam Rudolph, Imani Uzuri, Mysore Manjunath, Amir ElSaffar and the award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Basu has two self-released albums, Sunrise (2012) and Of Earth and Sky (2016). Her debut album with Ramamurthy, Nakshatra (2023) was released on SPINSTER records and recorded during the pandemic. It features a collection of original compositions and improvisations for two violins, exploring themes of nature, migration, self and community. The Guardian says, “Nakshatra is a gorgeously ruminative listen, blending the traditions of folk and south Indian carnatic music with heavenly improvisation.”

As an educator, Basu has worked as a teaching artist in NYC public schools with City Lore, Harlem School of the Arts and the Noel Pointer Foundation. In her own private studio, Brooklyn Violin House, she creates an inclusive, immersive and nurturing environment with a curriculum rooted in global and non-Western styles, improvisation, and composition. As a Music Therapist she has worked at Mount Sinai Children’s Hospital, South Miami Hospital, various nursing homes in the US and Canada with hospice, Alzheimers and stroke patients. She currently works with Musicambia teaching music at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility with incarcerated women.

Basu is a graduate of Florida State University in Music Therapy, She received her Suzuki teacher training from the School For Strings in Manhattan under the guidance of Katie Gerson and Alan Lieb. Basu is a recipient of the Indo-Shastri Canadian Institute Artist-Fellowship, Brooklyn Arts Council and Jubilation Foundation. She has been an Artist-In-Resident at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Next Stage Arts Project, MASS MoCA and The Pocantico Center/Rockefeller Brothers Foundation. She is a co-founder of the non-profit Brooklyn Raga Massive. Basu lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two sons.