Vijay Gupta

Musical Talk: Vijay Gupta

Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
  • Library Hall

Creating Citizens through the Arts: A special lunchtime talk with a TED Senior Fellow and featured 2016 Strings Music Festival musician!

Violinist Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007 at the age of 19. He founded and serves as Artistic Director for Street Symphony, a non-profit organization dedicated to brining music to people living in homelessness and incarceration. Gupta is a TED Speaker and a 2011 TED Senior Fellow. A gifted spokesperson for human and mental health advocacy through a musical medium, Gupta's TED talks include "Music Is Medicine, Music Is Sanity" and "Between Music and Medicine."

About the speaker
Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic after completing a master’s degree in music from Yale University, and a bachelor’s in biology from Marist College. His principal teachers have included Glenn Dicterow and Ani Kavafian. Gupta frequently appears on the Philharmonic’s Chamber Music and Green Umbrella series, and is actively engaged in various LA Phil educational outreach initiatives. Vijay made his solo debut at the age of 11 in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, has performed as a guest concertmaster with the Los Angeles Opera, Orquestra Comunitat de Valencia (Spain), and recently, as guest Leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London at the prestigious Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, U.K.

Gupta is a passionate and dedicated advocate for the presence of music in ostracized communities. He founded and serves as Artistic Director for Street Symphony, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing free, live music to men, women, and youth living in homelessness and incarceration. He is also passionate about education and outreach for mental health issues. He has the privilege of working with Nathaniel Ayers, the brilliant, schizophrenic musician featured in "The Soloist," as his violin teacher.

Vijay Gupta currently plays on a 1731 Domenico Montagnana violin, on generous loan through the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. He lives in Angeleno Heights with his wife Samantha Lynne, and their Siamese cat, Louie.

This program is a presented by Strings Music Festival & Bud Werner Memorial Library.