Trina Basu

Violinist
Brooklyn NY
Fellowship: 2022
TrinaBasu.com

“Music is a reflection of our spirit and radiates love in the world. We make music to tell our stories and discover ourselves.” 

An innovative, forward-thinking educator for young musicians, Trina has been a teaching artist since 2002, working for nonprofits such as City Lore, Harlem School of the Arts, and Noel Pointer Foundation. She runs the private studio, Brooklyn Violin House, and believes in creating a diverse, immersive, and nurturing learning environment for her students with a curriculum inclusive of global styles, improvisation, and composition. She is a co-founder of the musicians’ collective Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Trina’s musical voice explores contemporary and traditional worlds inspired by Indian ragas, chamber music, jazz, and folk. She co-leads Karavika, a quartet that draws from South Asian repertoire, and has a duo project with violinist Arun Ramamurthy. Trina frequently collaborates with dancers, poets, and visual artists.

What led you to become a teaching artist?
The presence of generous and supportive mentors throughout my life. My teachers created a space for me to discover all that music had to offer, and inspired me to follow my own path. An education in music therapy expanded my understanding of how music can affect people in positive and transformative ways. Being a teacher has felt like a natural part of my journey.

Teaching philosophy:
I want students to find their unique voices, tell their stories, and feel empowered through music so they can share who they are freely and proudly.

Through practice, we build strong foundations in technique, form, melody, rhythm, and theory. We nurture skills in improvisation and composition, and explore repertoire from the diverse communities and histories we belong to. We emphasize self-love, non-judgment, openness, and having fun!

Describe a good teaching day:
Learning from my students; seeing a student gain independence in a skill and making connections between music and life; seeing them be proud of themselves.