Vijay Gupta, violinist in recital

Vijay Gupta is a violinist, speaker and citizen-artist dedicated to creating spaces of wholeness and transformation through music. Hailed by The New Yorker as a “visionary violinist…one of the most radical thinkers in the unradical world of American classical music,” Vijay leads a protean career as a thought leader, performer, collaborator and communicator. 

Vijay is the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, which provides thousands of musical experiences for people in reentry from homelessness, addiction and incarceration in Los Angeles. A community of professional and community artists from a wide variety of genres, Street Symphony has presented thousands of musical workshops, performances and lessons in Los Angeles shelters, clinics, county jails and prisons, creating art for – and with – the largest homeless community in America. For his work in “bringing beauty, respite, and purpose to those all too often ignored by society”, Vijay was the recipient of a 2018 MacArthur Fellowship. 

Vijay is the 2023 Artist in Residence of the Massachusetts-based organization Music Worcester, where he curates, collaborates, and performs in venues such as Mechanics Hall, as well as in educational and incarceration settings. Vijay’s residency will present novel collaborations aimed to redefine the concert experience, ranging from programs with cimbalom artist Chester Englander, the works of JS Bach choreographed with Indian classical dancer Yamini Kalluri, a piano trio ‘mosaic program’ with Darshan Trio, and collaborations with the Worcester Choir.  

Vijay has performed as an international recitalist, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician for over 20 years, playing his solo debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Vijay served as a member of the first violin section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 12 years, and has collaborated with the Kronos Quartet, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Yo-Yo Ma, Rachel Podger, and appears regularly with the Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In Los Angeles, Vijay is a founding member of Darshan Trio, and also appears regularly on baroque violin as a member of LA-based early music ensemble Tesserae. A dynamic recording artist, Vijay’s critically acclaimed discography includes an array of chamber music and solo works. His solo violin albums When the Violin and Transcendent Night are available under his own label, Vidya Projects. 

A riveting speaker, Vijay has shared his work with dozens of corporations, campuses, conferences and communities across America over the past 10 years, including The Richmond Forum, The Aspen Institute, Hallmark, Accenture, Mayo Clinic, US Psychiatric Congress, American Planning Association, and the League of American Orchestras, just to name a few. 

Vijay holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Marist College, and a Master’s in Music from the Yale School of Music. Vijay plays a 2010 violin made by Los Angeles-based luthier Eric Benning, and an 18th century baroque violin from Mittenwald, Germany. He can be found on Instagram @guptaviolin.