Raina Arnett is a New York based violinist and recent MM graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied under Lewis Kaplan as his teaching assistant. Her other mentors include Leila Josefowicz, Renee Jolles, and Brad Lubman. Last season, Raina was a member of the Southbank Sinfonia, a London-based chamber orchestra of young professionals devoted to creating a forward-thinking future for orchestral music. This season includes performances at various venues in London including Cadogan Hall and St. John’s Smith Square; side-by-side collaborations with the Royal Opera House and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; and tours throughout the UK and Italy.

 

Passionate about contemporary music, Raina has collaborated with composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Julia Wolfe, and George Lewis, and has performed chamber music with members of the JACK Quartet, Ensemble Modern, Alarm Will Sound, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and Eighth Blackbird. She is also a founder of the contemporary trio the Glass Clouds Ensemble, which cultivates partnerships with composers and local environmental organizations to create music reflective of their work and ideas. This season, the ensemble is collaborating with composting organization Earth Matter NY featuring concerts at the Tenri Cultural Institute, James Cohan Gallery, and Governors Island. 

 

Recently, Raina has performed with Ensemble Signal at Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall, and the Glass Clouds Ensemble at Yellow Barn. Festival appearances include the Grafenegg Festival (Austria), Festival PAAX GNP (Mexico), Creative Dialogues XI (Finland), London Jazz Festival (UK), Bach Virtuosi Festival (USA), and Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend (USA). Outside of classical music, Raina performs regularly on her electric violin with the high energy event band Sugar Lane under Hank Lane Management, recently described by New York Magazine as “serotonin overload.” She has also worked as a session musician for pop and jazz musicians including GRAMMY nominated artist Louis Cole. Other than playing violin, Raina loves running, cooking, yoga, and the sun shining on a crisp fall day.