MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

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 American 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 including Mos Def, Urban Bush Women, Gil Scott Heron, Taylor Mac, Dr. John, Imani Uzuri, Mysore Manjunath, Amir ElSaffar and the award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. 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 young children.