Soumili Mukherjee

As a bassoonist and composer, Soumili Mukherjee seeks to challenge the framework through which we understand cultural norms. Her work aims to make music more accessible to communities outside of the classical conservatory bubble. 

Her performances as a bassoonist stand out as varied and community-oriented concert programs. Most recently, she was invited to perform as a soloist for Peabody's Voices Unheard program. Performances also include Françaix’s Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, performed at Hinds’ Feet Farm (center for people with brain injuries), multiple world premieres of new music in venues throughout Maryland, and a two-hour improvised chamber program for the “Forest Music” program at Adkin’s Arboretum. Her recent work as a fellow at the Kent Blossom Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and National Music Festival gave her opportunities to connect with the community through open rehearsals, presentations, and family instrument demonstrations. Orchestrally, she has performed principal positions in concert halls around the world, including the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Blossom Music Center, the Sarasota Opera House, the Musikverein Wien, and Carnegie Hall.

Soumili's recent compositions – including Tridevi, which explores the portrayal of women in Hindu mythology, and Favored Terrain, which recounts childhood memories of nature and family – center her experience as an American-born Bengali. Favored Terrain was premiered at the Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Facility by the Decoda Chamber Music Ensemble in June of 2024. Many of Soumili’s compositions have also been premiered by the Peabody Institute’s the New Contemporary Tonality Collective (NCTC), in which she held the positions of Composer-Performer Liaison and Social Media Manager.

Soumili is currently pursuing her Masters of Music degree in Bassoon Performance from the Yale School of Music, where she studies with Dr. Frank Morelli. She holds a BM in Bassoon Performance from the Peabody Institute, where she studied bassoon with Professor Brad Balliett and composition with Dr. Judah Adashi. She is also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda international honor society for music.

[headshot by Olina Kilbury]