Violinist Vijay Gupta is bridging the gap between Los Angeles’ Disney Hall and the Skid Row homeless community.
“This isn’t ‘drive-by Beethoven' [...] It has the right motive.”was one of the youngest violinists to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but his path in music took an unexpected turn when he met-- a Juilliard-trained double bassist whose crippling schizophrenia ended his professional career and left him homeless. Actor“[Nathaniel] had a more encyclopedic knowledge of music than my professors at Yale,” says Gupta. “This was his oxygen, this was his survival.
That’s exactly what he did. In 2011, Gupta launched Street Symphony, an organization that hosts 80 free concerts every year for the city’s homeless, disenfranchised and incarcerated. In 2017, he expanded it with a mentorship program pairing homeless people with professional musicians for two years of intensive, free musical instruction.
More recently, the organization has been diversifying its concert repertoire beyond Handel and Bach to include mariachi music, West African drumming and even some recognizable modern tunes. At the upcoming Messiah Project, members will perform’s “Climb Every Mountain.” In fact, "Climb Every Mountain" is the theme of this year's event, Gupta says, "honoring the resilience of this community.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bettye LaVette, Eddie Boyd Among 2020 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees (EXCLUSIVE)The Blues Foundation has set 14 musicians, recordings and behind-the-scenes figures to be honored at part of its 41st class of inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2020. As might be expected, t…
Read more »
Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons elected to baseball Hall of FameMarvin Miller, who turned the Major League Baseball Players Association into one of the most powerful unions in the US, and Ted Simmons, a hard-hitting catcher, were elected Sunday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Read more »
Batista and the nWo mark the first inductees for the 2020 WWE Hall of FameBatista had his last wrestling match at WrestleMania 35.
Read more »
Disney warns new 'Star Wars' movie may cause seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsyThe media giant issued an advisory to theater owners to let consumers know that some scenes in the film contain bright flashing lights that could trigger seizures in some epileptic people.
Read more »
From Apple To Disney To Netflix: A Budget-Friendly Guide To Streaming ServicesNeed help picking a streaming subscription? This guide explains the top choices for streaming and who they're best suited for.
Read more »