Harpreet Bansal, violinist & composer

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

My father, Harbhajan Singh Bansal. He taught me the ragas from when I was two years old. Our house was always filled with music, and many great musicians came to visit. My career has been a natural consequence of my upbringing, I don´t think I ever seriously considered doing anything else. Maybe astronomy, I like systems.

Who or what have been the most significant influences on your musical life and career?

I owe a lot to many, but I’d like to mention three people in particular: Ingrid Kindem of the Concerts Norway Agency (now discontinued), who was my producer and helped me establish my trio through hundreds of school concerts. This was an invaluable opportunity for us to develop as an ensemble and on an individual level. Javid Afsari-Rad, who also plays santur in my band, invited me to join his ensemble ComboNation in 2010, where I had the chance to play with great musicians of different traditions, for example, the late great Solo Cissokho. Bugge Wesseltoft, who believed in my music and released my first three albums on his own label Jazzland Recordings. These three opened many doors for me, and I am very grateful. More recently, I have received lots of support from the organization Samspill International Music Network, who do a fantastic job promoting international music and musicians in Norway.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far? 

The greatest challenge has been to create a space for my music in the Norwegian music scene, and it has taken a long time! It´s not classical, not «contemporary», not jazz, but can in some ways be all three. I am still sometimes being told I play folk music, which I don’t. But as long as I reach somebody, I am happy. And I have been very fortunate with the people I’ve met along the way. Anyway it seems audiences are becoming less preoccupied with genre, and that’s great.

Of which performances/recordings are you most proud?

I like the new one! ‘States of Mind’ is an album built around chamber music compositions, whereas my albums on Jazzland (Chandra, Samaya and Movements) were more structured around improvisation and jazz-like templates. States of Mind is both a successor and predecessor for my previous album Parvat which I recorded with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra back in 2020 and was my first release on Lawo Classics. The track Otherwise was composed in 2019 as a kind of preliminary study for Parvat, and it’s been performed a lot since. It’s great to be able to release it now with the fantastic Cikada String Quartet. 

What do you do offstage that provides inspiration on stage?

I walk in the woods, very Norwegian. And I play a lot, improvising alone to find new melodies, build structures and form. And sometimes there are things that unexpectedly turn out to be inspiring. It can be anything. And travel is great, because variation is inspiring in itself.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

The ability to be a good colleague is a big one. It’s maybe not the standard definition of “success”, but I think the most important thing if one is to thrive in this business in the long term is to have good collaborations and human connections. We all work for our own careers, but it is important to help each other across genre and age. Music can be lonely work, we need each other.

What advice would you give to young or aspiring musicians?

If you have something you really need to say, never give up. Be curious, take the initiative, don’t hesitate to approach and learn from those who you admire. Go to concerts, let it inspire you to practice. And practice, a lot. Ask for feedback from both masters and peers, but in time you should find your own conviction. To agree with everything and to agree with nothing is essentially the same, so try to find a balance.

What’s the one thing we’re not talking about in the music industry which you really feel we should be?

We should facilitate musicians to be able to contribute meaningfully to the community in more ways. Musicians are typically good at engaging with current affairs, organizing support concerts in times of war, famine or catastrophe, and there is a real desire to do what one can. This is great, but it could also translate to the local level, and a more constant activity. There are programs and initiatives for musicians to perform in prisons, retirement homes, schools etc. and that’s fantastic, but I really believe it should be much more. Everyone hopefully grows old, but for all too many that means becoming invisible. Music and musicians is a great resource for inclusion, and could work as a social medicine. This would have to be a structural thing, it would need to be organized. But I don’t think the cost would be high compared to a fighter jet, and would benefit society more.

What next? Where would you like to be in 10 years time?

In my little house in Liguria (if I can get it), watching the sun set into the Mediterranean. 

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To be with those I love, in a safe place, without too many unnecessary things, eating Indian food.

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t really possess them, but it’s my kids and my family. Then there is my Rogeri violin, but it belongs to the bank and is not really mine. I love it though.

What is your present state of mind?

Right now it’s a roller coaster. A lot of good things, a lot of challenges. So one foot on the ground, and one searching. This is on the personal level, but it reflects outwards as well. I am fortunate to have a family and safety, and would wish the same for everyone. 

Harpreet Bansal’s new album States of Mind is out now on CD and all streaming platforms

bansalmusic.com