Bio

About the artist

IMAGE - J. KONRAD SCHMIDT

Kamalini is one of the leading exponents of Rabindranath Tagore’s songs, known in India and Bangladesh as “Rabindra Sangeet”. She has been trained from an early age at Dakshinee, a leading Rabindrasangeet academy in Kolkata, India.

Since embarking on her musical journey professionally in 2008, Kamalini has graced stages across India, Bangladesh, Germany, Canada, and the United States.

In 2013 she undertook a significant project in Mauritius, aiming to disseminate Tagore’s music. This venture, in collaboration with the Govt. of Mauritius and UNESCO, marked the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore. She has given a solo concert for the President of India, Sri Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan (Indian Presidential Palace) in 2015. She has had several performances at the annual North American Bengali Conferences (NABC), in Las Vegas, Toronto, Baltimore, and New York City. In 2020 she was invited to perform at the launch of the Tagore Program on Literature, Philosophy and Culture at UC Berkeley. In May 2024 she was featured in a 3-day ‘Blick Zurück aus Indien’ Tagore festival, culminating in an 'Indische Nacht' concert with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tagore Center, Embassy of India in Germany. In October 2024 Kamalini, in collaboration with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, has worked with an all-female international ensemble of musicians to reinterpret Aguner Poroshmoni (a popular Tagore song) as a protest song, responding to the tragic rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata. She performed at the prestigious Martha Argerich Festival in Hamburg in June 2025.

Kamalini is currently involved in several projects in Germany, including curating a month-long arts festival in Duisburg in May 2026, and serving as one of the directors of the Marxloh Music Circus.

Kamalini's discography, which includes 12 albums with Saregama, a prominent music label in India, features 7 solo albums, and the prestigious compilation “Best of Kamalini”. She has produced several singles, some in collaboration with other artists. In October 2023, she released her first original contemporary Bengali single. Kamalini lent her voice to the 2005 Bengali movie Nishijapon, directed by Sandip Ray.

Kamalini’s music academy, Ahir, is dedicated to teaching Rabindrasangeet, emphasizing a deep understanding and interpretation of Tagore’s poetry while preserving its melodic integrity.

A student of South Point school, Kolkata, India, Kamalini completed her Bachelor’s in English Literature from Jadavpur University, India with a gold medal in 2001. She furthered her education at St John’s College, Cambridge, UK on a Gates Cambridge Scholarship for her Master's degree, and then spent a year in Collegio Ghislieri, University of Pavia, Italy, on an exchange program.

Currently, Kamalini divides her time between New York City, Kolkata, and Duisburg.