Trina Basu & Arun Ramamurthy
Violinists Trina Basu and Arun Ramamurthy reimagine the potential of string chamber music with a unique sound both deeply intimate and cinematically expansive. Rooted in traditions of South Indian classical music, Western chamber music, and jazz, the duo is uniquely positioned to create a sound that feels ancient, orchestral, and contemporary or as The New Yorker put it “free-flowing and globe-spanning.” Combined with the duo’s fluency in improvisation, there is a clear architecture to their sound that still gives space for the two violins to be delightfully indiscernible and shine individually. Their debut album, Nakshatra, the Sanskrit word for constellation, is a profound exploration of this dance between a collective and singular sound, bursting with energy, playfulness, and a cosmic gravitas.
As a duo they have been artists-in-residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute and Next Stage Arts Project, and have performed at Ragas Live Festival, The Jazz Gallery, Bang on a Can, Benque Cultural Center, Sri Ramanjaneya Sangeetha Sabha, and Lyric Chamber Society of NY. Varying colors, shapes, and sounds emerge from the ensemble with their esteemed collaborators, who have included cellists Marika Hughes and Jake Charkey, percussionists Dan Kurfirst and Rich Stein, bassists Damon Banks and Rashaan Carter and guitarist Shane Parish. Basu and Ramamurthy are married and live in Brooklyn, NY with their two young children.
Videos & Press
“Their playing is soulful and virtuosic and it is clear they not only know how to really listen but have an amazing chemistry together.”
“Nakshatra is a gorgeously ruminative listen, blending the traditions of folk and south Indian carnatic music with heavenly improvisation”
“Though it consists only of the two violins, this music is remarkably exuberant, a curious mix of vulnerable and universal that makes the album hum with the ambient expressiveness of a film score.”
“It is celestial (“Offering”) and of this Earth (“Migration”). It is reverential (“Sri Kamalabike”) and celebratory…” - All About Jazz
“NYC based violinists find ‘love at first sound’ and release debut album” - Epicenter NYC Podcast
Recommended by Folk Radio
“US-based violinists Trina Basu and Arun Ramamurthy have come up with one of the best albums I have heard in a long time.” - Maria Lord, Songlines
