Vijay Gupta combined artistic excellence with social engagement to expand the role of classical music in public life. A violinist and founder of Street Symphony, he brought live performances and music education to incarcerated, unhoused, and marginalized communities in Los Angeles. His work challenged traditional assumptions about who classical music was for and where it belonged. In 2018, he received a MacArthur Fellowship for using music as a tool for human connection and social change. Gupta’s leadership broadened the cultural mission of American classical music institutions.
