Viktor Krauss (b. 1969, Champaign, IL) is a Nashville-based bassist and composer whose career spans nearly four decades. Since moving to Nashville in 1992, he has built an extensive body of work as an instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer, collaborating with an extraordinary range of artists across genres. His recording credits include projects with Bill Frisell (Nashville, Gone, Just Like a Train, Good, Dog Happy Man, Disfarmer), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (Raise the Roof), Lyle Lovett (Step Inside This House, My Baby Don't Tolerate, Natural Forces, It's Not Big, It's Large), James Taylor (American Standard), Tom Jones, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Sierra Ferrell, Carly Simon, Jerry Douglas, Kacey Musgraves, Buddy Miller, Chet Atkins, Larry Carlton, Shelby Lynne, James Newton Howard, The Chieftains, Peter Rowan, Harry Connick Jr., J.D. Souther, Joan Baez, Indigo Girls, Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Graham Nash, Michael McDonald, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, Kenny Rogers, Janis Ian, Jewel, and Michael Feinstein, among many others.

As a solo artist, Krauss describes his music as “soundtracks without a movie,” drawing on elements of jazz, Americana, and classic rock. His debut album, Far From Enough (Nonesuch, 2004), featuring Bill Frisell, Jerry Douglas, Steve Jordan, and Alison Krauss, reached #6 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. His follow-up, II (EMI, 2007), featured collaborations with Dean Parks, Matt Chamberlain, and guest vocalists Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Ben Taylor, and Shweta Jhaveri. His most recent release, Vignette, is a collaboration with acclaimed lever harpist Maeve Gilchrist.

In 2006, Krauss received a fellowship at the Sundance Institute Film Composers Lab. His work in film includes collaborations and placements with directors Ken Burns and the late Robert Altman. Selections from his solo recordings have also been featured as musical interludes ("bumpers") on National Public Radio.

In addition to his recording and composing work, Krauss is an active educator, having served as a guest speaker, clinician, and artist-in-residence at institutions including Berklee College of Music, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and Belmont University.