Victoria Camuy ’27: Trinity’s Next Big Artist

Hannah Smith ’26

Staff Writer

The newest addition to the Trinity College music scene is Victoria Camuy ’27, the freshman guitarist and drummer from Chicago, Illinois. As an Afro-Latina coming from a musical family, she looks at life from a musical perspective. “I was taught that there was just an intrinsic rhythm to life and my music is the way that I connect to my culture,” Camuy said. She has been singing and dancing her whole life and her love for music has only grown over the years.

Camuy’s history with guitar has been off and on, but with the support and encouragement from her family to keep working and getting better, she decided she wanted to get more serious about her music her senior year of high school. Since then, she has been working on her craft, enrolling in Trinity’s Music 101 course, which only enhanced her knowledge and passion for music in addition to performing with her band, High Speed Brakes, at The Mill.

When asked how her identity as a Black artist affects her music, she said, “I like to think that my art is not influenced by my race, but it is. I take inspiration from so many Black artists who have pioneered almost every genre of music we listen to now. Rock and roll, jazz, and the blues were all created by Black artists, and it is important for people to acknowledge the roots of music still around today.”

Throughout her time at Trinity, she has found a community at The Mill. It has acted as a safe space for her to share her work with passionate artists from Trinity and as a place for her to grow as a musician and person. Her goal is to get more people to The Mill where they can share their work and experience the amazing atmosphere that has been created there, and she hopes to do that as the General Body Liaison.

Through her work at The Mill, she has been able to showcase her music and foster a community that enables everyone to show off what they can do. However, Camuy knows that a lot more needs to be done to support Black artists. When asked how people can best support her and other Black artists, she states, “Show up and pay them. So many people go unsupported in terms of people who listen to or view their art, and showing up is the first step to anything. On top of that, so many artists are unpaid and Black artists especially. In terms of action, I think people should learn more about and appreciate the world of Black artists.”

Luckily, Hartford is filled with opportunities that put Black artists in front of larger audiences. You can go to shows at Hartford Theaterworks and galleries for Black artists that pop up all around the city, and you can show your support at some of the great exhibits Trinity offers throughout the semester. Keep an eye out for future performances from Camuy and her band, High Speed Brakes, at The Mill at 79 Vernon Street.