Harpreet Bansal was trained in the North Indian classical tradition from her earliest childhood by her father and first guru, Harbhajan Singh Bansal. She went on to complete a bachelor's degree in Western classical violin at the Norwegian Academy of Music. She became the first student to qualify for a Master's degree in Indian music at the same institution, under the tuition of renowned sitarist Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan Poonchwala. She has also studied intensively with the great Indian virtuoso of the violin, Dr. L. Subramaniam. Harpreet has worked extensively both as soloist, ensemble leader and ensemble musician in a wide range of styles, collaborating with Javid Afsari Rad, Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari, Bugge Wesseltoft, Nils-Olav Johansen, Trygve Seim, Svante Henryson, Unni Løvlid, Rolf-Erik Nystrøm a.o. She is the leader of Bansal Trio/Bansal Band, and member of Rumi Ensemble and Combonations. She has given solo concerts in England, India, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Canada, Taiwan, Poland a.o. Harpreet has received numerous prestigious grants and scholarships, among those the Norwegian State's 2-year artist grant in 2012, the Composer's Remuneration Fund's 1-year artist grant in 2017, and the Norwegian Art Council's Ensemble Grant in 2014 and 2017. She has toured regularly for Concerts Norway since 2003 and has released several albums. Harpreet Bansal: Parvat is out now! Artist photos: Anna-Julia Granberg & Matthis Kleeb