A Talk by Vijay Gupta

September 18, 6:00 p.m.
International Cultural Center Auditorium
The presentation is free and open to the public

According to the Los Angeles Downtown News, Vijay Gupta is "The Most Interesting Man in the [Philharmonic Orchestra]." Not only is he the youngest player in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but the virtuoso violinist has also become a world renowned advocate for the redemptive and regenerative power of music. Gupta holds a master's in music from Yale and made his solo debut, at age 11, with the Israel Philharmonic.

Gupta believes strongly that music should be a fundamental element in the educational curriculum, beyond an extracurricular hobby or even a medium to facilitate instruction in other fields, such as math or science. In this talk, he shares his personal journey in music education, tying in his experiences as a young musician struggling to find the meaning in music with the lack of programs and support, as well as the stigma he faced at choosing between a career as a “responsible person” in science and a career in his life's passion, music. That stigma still exists around music and the arts. Gupta believes music educators are true pioneers in the kind of human education that will shape the kind of empathic and socially connected lives that our world demands of our young people. Music gives us these human tools, says Gupta—the relational discipline grounded in passion that truly can affect change in the world around us.
This program made possible, in part, by a grant from The CH Foundation

Written and edited by: Jane Bell
Email: jane.bell@ttu.edu

Posted date: 08/29/2014