Vijay Gupta

Vijay Gupta is a violinist and social justice advocate. An esteemed performer, communicator,and citizen-artist, Gupta is a leading advocate for the role of the arts and music to heal, inspire,provoke change, and foster social connection. Gupta is the founder and Artistic Director ofStreet Symphony, a non-profit organization providing musical engagement, dialogue andteaching artistry for homeless and incarcerated communities in Los Angeles.

Recognized for his “dedication to bringing beauty, respite, and purpose to those all too oftenignored by society while demonstrating the capacity of music to validate our shared humanity”,Vijay Gupta is a 2018 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow.

Vijay Gupta is a celebrated speaker, educator and advocate, and works as a consultant andguest lecturer with education, performance and presentation institutions across the US andCanada. He currently serves on the faculty of The Colburn School and Longy School of Music,and is the Senior Program and Artistic Advisor of Young Musician’s Foundation, an LA-basedmusical training, performance and advocacy organization. Gupta also serves on the board ofdirectors of the DC-based national arts advocacy organization Americans for the Arts, as well asLos Angeles’s beloved 24th STreet Theatre.

An acclaimed violinist and seasoned international performing artist since the age of 8, Guptamade his solo debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta atage 11. In 2007, at 19, Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and served as amember of the First Violin section through 2018. He has appeared as a guest concertmasterwith the Los Angeles Opera and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and is an activerecitalist, soloist and chamber musician.

Gupta holds a BS in biology from Marist College (‘05) and an MM in violin performance from theYale School of Music (‘07). Gupta is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including anhonorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of La Verne and the 2017 LeonardBernstein Lifetime Achievement Award from the Longy School of Music. Gupta is a 2017 CitizenArtist Fellow with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a 2011 TED SeniorFellow. Gupta is represented as a speaker by the Lavin Agency and performs on a 2015 violinmade by Los Angeles maker Eric Benning.