Nathaniel Basa
Nathaniel was born in Skokie, IL and began violin study at the age of four in the Suzuki program at the behest of his parents. Later, he went on to play in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, from 1983–90, starting when he was fourteen. During high school, Nathaniel’s violin teacher was Joseph Golan, then-principal second violin of the CSO, who really gave Nathaniel a strong impetus in advancing his violin playing and musical awareness, as well as helping him with placement in the training orchestra. Also during that time, Bernice Ransley, one of the founders of the renowned Merit Music Program and then the orchestra director at Whitney Young High School in Chicago where Nathaniel attended and graduated in 1987, and Michael Morgan, then-assistant conductor of the CSO and principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra, encouraged him tremendously along a path in music with regular and supportive coaching, playing projects, and musical responsibilities. At age sixteen, in a scintillating moment of foresight, he decided to go into music instead of baseball because he felt he could probably play music longer in life than he could shagging fly balls in the outfield. (“Look at all those old guys in the symphony, they’re still playing and they’re 80!”) Principal teachers and coaches also have included Mark Zinger from DePaul University, Yuval Yaron from Indiana University, Roy Lewis of the Manhattan String Quartet, David Nadien of the New York Philharmonic, and Nicky Danielson from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Although he has played for and played with many members, concertmasters, conductors, and composers from big symphonies around the continent, one of his main musical influences was listening to his grandmother play all kinds of music—and improvise—on the piano while growing up.
VIOLIN
Nathaniel has had the rare opportunity to perform as concert violin soloist on several occasions; playing the Mozart concerto #4 with the San Francisco Sinfonietta, Bach double violin concerto with the Rome Festival in Italy, the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the South Side Chamber Orchestra in Chicago, Samuel Barber’s violin concerto and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes in Mexico, and the Bach A minor concerto with the Orquesta Beethoven in Guadalajara. All great challenges and wonderful memories and experiences! As a chamber musician, Nathaniel has performed regularly with numbers of different small ensembles such as string trios, piano trios, piano quartets, and more. He co-founded several string quartets and trios including the Evans String Quartet in Breckenridge, CO and the Cuarteto Sinaloa (Sinaloa Quartet) in Mexico. In both ensembles, he was first violin for a number of years and together with his marvelous colleagues performed a wide range of repertoire both old and new. Memorable moments include performing at the inauguration of the Riverwalk Center for Artistic Performance in Breckenridge, CO, which is still in existence today; giving a concert at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City; and having quartet recordings broadcast over WFMT radio in Chicago for their annual Latin Music Festival. Nathaniel has an interest in many kinds of music and has played in and with a variety of musical ensembles, funk bands, improvisational groups, and musicians, such as Bobby McFerrin, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Christian Nodal, The Moody Blues, Ray Charles, Delfeayo Marsalis, Karol G, the Three Irish Tenors, Gregory Boyd, and Luciano Pavarotti. He has played in chamber music and opera festivals in the USA and Italy and also has traveled extensively as an orchestra player as well, holding full-time positions in over a dozen symphonies in eight states and in two states in Mexico.
Currently, he resides with his wife and two children in Guadalajara, playing in his 11th year in the first violin section of the Jalisco Philharmonic. Nathaniel recently won the audition for violinist in the Cascade Quartet and co-concertmaster of the Great Falls Symphony and this is his first concert as permanent core member of the quartet! He performed with the Cascade Quartet in February 2026 as part of his audition, in what turned into a beautiful, unforgettable experience. Nathaniel is holding down co-concertmaster positions as well with the Orquesta Solistas de América, Orquesta Filarmónica del Estado de Colima, Orquesta Beethoven, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Jalisco, all regularly performing orchestras based in Mexico. Nathaniel also teaches privately on violin and viola and coaches and conducts ensembles, recently conducting on the Jalisco Philharmonic’s young orchestra intensive week “Actividades Formativas” with local up-and-coming orchestras playing side-by-side with the professional state orchestra. He also has taught privately, and coached and conducted ensembles while on the faculties of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Merit Music School and the People’s Music School in Chicago, the Instituto Chapultepec in Sinaloa, MX, the Trala Music School (online), and the weeklong string intensive workshop “Semana de las Cuerdas” held by the Orquesta Solistas de América in Guadalajara in summer 2024, among others. Hopes for the future include continuing to broaden the understanding of the realm of human consciousness and connectivity, arts access for young people by example through dynamic musical projects and meaningful collaborations, and deepening involvement in the advancement of new and original music.