Speaker Biography
Vijay Gupta believes that the work of the artist and citizen is one: to make a daily practice of the connected, creative, and courageous world we long to live in. Hailed by The New Yorker as “a visionary violinist…one of the most radical thinkers in the unradical world of American classical music”, Vijay is an esteemed musician, speaker and thought leader, serving to create spaces of belonging, healing and wholeness through music.
Vijay’s labor of love lies in the creation and direction of Street Symphony, a musical community which serves to shift the context of conversations about homelessness, addiction and incarceration from retribution to transformation. Street Symphony serves to engage the Skid Row community of Los Angeles through musical encounters and intimate conversations, operating on the core principle that every person has a story to be told, and heard.
A dynamic communicator, Vijay shares his vision for transformative community engagement in the form of musical keynote lectures, workshops and strategic conversations for companies, conferences, universities, and non-profit organizations. In June 2020, Vijay Gupta delivered the 33rd annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, introduced by the Honorable Speaker Nancy Pelosi, entitled “The Next Response: Practicing the Future, Now”. His 2010 TED Talk, “Music is Medicine, Music is Sanity”, has garnered millions of views. Vijay is a strategic and artistic advisor for organizations across the United States, and serves on the Board of Directors of Americans for the Arts.
An esteemed violinist, Vijay is a recording artist, an ardent chamber musician and collaborator. Gupta made his solo debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta at age 11, and has performed as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician on an international scale since the age of 8. He has also performed as a guest concertmaster with the Los Angeles Opera and the UK’s acclaimed Philharmonia Orchestra. Vijay served as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 12 years, which he joined as the youngest violinist in the orchestra’s history, after completing a Master’s degree in Music from Yale University, and a Bachelor’s in biology from Marist College. In October 2020, Vijay headlined with the esteemed Kronos String Quartet for UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance “Tune In” festival honoring Pete Seeger.
For his work in bringing beauty, respite, and purpose to those all too often ignored by society, while encouraging us to reflect on many ways we can all make a difference in our world today, Vijay Gupta is the recipient of a 2018 Catherine D. and John T. MacArthur grant.
Vijay believes that an artistic and civic practice is a spiritual practice. He embodies a creative “sadhana” – the Sanskrit word meaning “daily spiritual practice”, and is the creator of the hashtag #creativesadhana on Instagram, where he shares his musical, literary, spiritual and artistic practice. He invites you to create your own sadhana, and to follow his journey at @guptaviolin.
Vijay plays on a 2010 violin made by Los Angeles based luthier Eric Benning. His album Breathe, featuring the chamber music of Reena Esmail, is available on iTunes.
Audience Q&A Moderator: Dr. Ronald Crutcher
Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, a national leader in higher education, a distinguished classical musician, and an accomplished administrator, became the 10th President of the University of Richmond on July 1, 2015.
A former member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and several other symphonies, he currently performs in the U.S. and Europe as a member of The Klemperer Trio. He serves on the board of the Richmond Symphony and has served on the boards of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Berklee College of Music. Earlier in his career he was President of Chamber Music America, director of the highly ranked Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, and dean of the Conservatory at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Dr. Crutcher began studying cello at the age of 14 with Elizabeth Potteiger, a faculty member at Miami University. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in March 1985 and was the first cellist to receive the doctor of musical arts degree from Yale University, where he also earned his master’s degree.