East Forest is the project of multidisciplinary artist Krishna-Trevor Oswalt. Since 2008 his "lush" (Rolling Stone) and “blissful" (NPR) music has moved between ambient, neoclassical, electronic, and experimental sound.

Before East Forest, Oswalt studied film at Vassar College and trained at the IATT at Harvard University, earning his MFA from the Moscow Art Theatre, a background that continues to shape the architecture of his concerts and events.

He works as a performer, recording artist, producer, speaker, teacher, and filmmaker, and his compositions are heard everywhere from concert halls to clinical and research settings, including active studies at UCSF.

In 2019 he released Music for Mushrooms, a five-hour album written to accompany a complete psilocybin session. The feature documentary of the same name (2024) played theatrically in over 100 markets in the US and internationally.

His latest album, The Invitation, As We Gathered, highlights live recordings from his global gatherings. He teaches on the faculty of the Esalen Institute and performs worldwide.

SELECTED WORK

Research & Institutions — Primary music for the Set and Setting study led by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris at UCSF. Score and sound for Nature Journey at UCSF's Neuroscape, with Dr. Adam Gazzaley and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg. Room compositions for A Space for Being, Google's neuroaesthetics installation with the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins, at Salone del Mobile in Milan. Composer for Wavepaths (w/ Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins, and Greg Haines). Additional works with Usona, Numinus.

Collaborations — Ram Dass. Jon Hopkins, "Sit Around the Fire" (Domino), NPR's Top Songs of 2021. Kishi Bashi, Max Cooper, Laraaji, Nick Mulvey, Peter Broderick, DJ ANNA, Krishna Das, Stic of Dead Prez, Duncan Trussell. Commissioned scores include Shen Wei Dance Company, AWOL Dance Collective, and Marmoset.

Talks & Teaching — Faculty, Esalen Institute. TEDxBend. Featured speaker, Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design). Psychedelic Science (MAPS), and Menla with Dr. Gita Vaid. UCLA Cultivating Connection Conference. Usona Institute's International Forum on Consciousness. Panels on psychedelics and music including SXSW and the Science and Nonduality Conference. Guest lectures at Yale, NYU and Naropa University.

Film — Music for Mushrooms (2024), feature documentary: director, composer. Theatrical run across 100+ US and international markets, including Angelika Village East Cinema (New York) and Laemmle Monica Film Center (Los Angeles). Composer of "I Am Loving Awareness," for Jamie Catto's Ram Dass documentary Becoming Nobody (2019) Vancouver International Film Festival.

Live — Performances including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Grace Cathedral, 92nd St. Y (New York), Jazz Cafe (London), Harpa (Reykjavík), the Columbus Museum of Art, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, The Wilbur, and Enmore Theatre (Sydney). Festivals such as BottleRock, Wilderness (UK), Beyond the Pale (Ireland), Misty Fest (Lisbon), Each Story (Japan), At One (China), Mysteryland (Netherlands/US), Lightning in a Bottle, SXSW, and Treefort Fest. Give a Home, the global Sofar Sounds and Amnesty International concert series.

Recordings — Over 30 releases since 2008, appearing on Domino, Ghostly, Mercury KX, Universal/Decca, Bright Antenna, 1631 Recordings, Tender Loving Empire, and Aquilo Records. Original meditation for Hay House, Field Trip Health, Calm, and Mooji.

Writing, Press & Podcast — Features in The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Pitchfork, Forbes, Wired, and Sky News. Op-eds in FLOOD and DoubleBlind. In conversation with Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith for Talkhouse. Ten Laws w/East Forest Podcast, an evergreen archive of over 320 conversations with guests including Douglas Rushkoff, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Dr. Katherine MacLean, and Sarah Neufeld (of Arcade Fire). Guest appearances include You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, Duncan Trussell Family Hour · Dear Gabby · MUD\WTR · Mindrolling with Raghu Markus.‍ ‍

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