Grammy-nominated artist Regina Carter explores the power of music through the voice of the violin in a wide range of genres—including jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, and African. A recipient of the MacArthur “genius” award and a Doris Duke Artist Award, she has been widely hailed for her mastery of her instrument and her drive to expand its possibilities.
Her albums include Paganini: After a Dream (Verve, 2003), based on a 2002 concert in Genoa, Italy, in which she was honored to be the first nonclassical violinist to play Niccolò Paganini’s Il Cannone (“The Cannon”), the legendary violin built by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1743; I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey (Verve, 2006), a reinterpretation of songs from the 1920s to 1940s and tribute to her mother; Reverse Thread (E1 Music, 2010), an exploration of African folk music and the African diaspora; and Southern Comfort (Sony Masterworks, 2014), a musical journey tracing her father’s roots in the American South; Ella: Accentuate the Positive (OKeh, 2017), celebrates the music and spirit of her inspiration, musical legend Ella Fitzgerald. Her latest release, Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground (Tiger Turn/ eOne, 2020), Regina and her Freedom Band; trumpeter John Daversa, pianist Jon Batiste, bassists Alexis Cuadrado and Kabir Sehgal and drummer Harvey Mason, set out to deliver an optimistic and encouraging project that extols the importance of taking part in the democratic process.
Regina tours with her own group and has appeared frequently as a guest soloist, including with such performers as Kenny Barron, the late bassist Ray Brown, Akua Dixon, Arturo O’Farrill, Steve Turre, Stefon Harris, Mary J. Blige, Joe Jackson, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Omara Portuondo, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Rhiannon Giddens and others. She has also been a guest soloist with several major symphony orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.
Regina is artistic director of the Geri Allen Jazz Camp, a unique summer immersion program sponsored by NJPAC for aspiring women jazz professionals. She is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and New Jersey City University and is artist in residence at the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Past positions have included resident artist for San Francisco Performances and resident artistic director for SFJAZZ.
Along with performing, recording, teaching, and mentoring, Regina is passionate about bringing music into nursing homes and hospice settings and being a comfort to the actively dying. As part of that commitment, she trained to be a hospice volunteer at Hospice of New Jersey.