Hailed by the Herald-Tribune for his “dazzling pianism verging on the impossible, effortless technical command and authority with a sense of poetry and refinement that belies his years,” Indian-American pianist Vijay Venkatesh has been recognized on three continents as a pianist with profound musicianship, sparkling pianism and an innate sense of partnership. Vijay, whose playing is described as “fresh and inspired,” (Cincinnati Courier) has rapidly established a major international reputation as top prizewinner in the San Jose, Seattle, Zimmerli, World Piano, and Waring International Piano Competitions. He has also been named a Davidson Fellow Laureate at the Library of Congress, USC Thornton's Discovery Scholar, Grand Prize Winner of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards and featured on Performance Today® with host Fred Child, “What Makes It Great?” with host Robert Kapilow, and NPR’s “From the Top."    

 

Highlights of Mr. Venkatesh's upcoming season include 5 performances of Rachmaninoff’s 3rd with Michael Butterman (Lancaster Symphony) and Norman Huynh (Bozeman Symphony), Mozart K. 488 with Martin Majkut (Rogue Valley Symphony), Rachmaninoff ‘s 2nd with James Ross (Alexandria Symphony), and Saint-Saëns Carnival of Animals and Carmina Burana for two pianos with Michael Christie (New West Symphony). Additionally, he appears this season at the Boston Court Theatre, Trinity Concert Series, Irvine Performing Arts Center, Athena Foundation for the Arts, Casa Romantica, The 222 Healdsburg, Highlands-Cashiers Music Festival, Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society, ProMusica San Miguel de Allende, Mason Concerts, and more.      

 

An immersive and versatile soloist, Vijay has performed extensively across the United States and Europe as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Vienna, Sarasota, Pasadena, Columbus, Cincinnati, Bangor, Redlands, Roanoke, LaGrange, Rogue Valley, Santa Monica, and the Brevard Music Center. He has collaborated with preeminent conductors James Conlon, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jeffrey Kahane, Ludovic Morlot, Roger Kalia, Joseph Young, Richard Prior, Eckart Preu, Lucas Richman, Ryan Murray, Martin Majkut, Michael Repper, Carolyn Kuan, Toshi Shimada, David Wiley, Ken Lam, and more. Mr. Venkatesh appeared in recent seasons at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with the Colburn Orchestra, Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess series, Emory Chamber Music Society, Grand Piano Series in Naples, and at the Aspen, Brevard, Banff, Newport, ProMusica, Redlands Bowl, Sarasota, Vienna, and Music in the Mountains Festivals. As recipient of the inaugural Parnassus Society Prize, he performed in recital at the Soka Performing Arts Center.    

 

An active chamber musician, Vijay has appeared twelve times on Le Salon de Musiques at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and tours as the Vieness Piano Duo with his wife and pianist, Eva Schaumkell. Last season, they appeared for the DaCamera Society, Irvine Performing Arts Center, Trinity Concert Series, Lancaster Performing Arts Center, L’ermitage Foundation, Masters in the Chapel, Muzewest, Opera Steamboat, Ocean Grove Summer Stars Series, Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society, Second City Chamber Series, Sarasota Artist Series, South Bay Chamber Music Series, Westcliffe InConcert Series, and the Kultur unter'm Dach series in Germany. As pianist in the Aristeia Trio, gold medalists of the Frances Walton International Chamber Music Competition, they embarked on a 30-concert tour of Washington, appeared twice on KING-FM 89.1 FM, and have been featured at Camerata Musica and the Irvine Performing Arts Center.      

 

Originally from California, Venkatesh earned an Artist Diploma from the Colburn School in Los Angeles with Fabio Bidini, where he was generously awarded the prestigious Amron-Sutherland Grant for Pianists. He holds additional degrees from USC Thornton and IU Jacobs School of Music, where he was a recipient of the Barbara and David Jacobs Fellowship under the tutelage of Norman Krieger and André Watts. Venkatesh previously studied with Jeffrey Kahane, Sarkis Baltaian, Menahem Pressler, and Murray Perahia.

 

His latest recordings include the music of Lucas Richman on Albany Records and a release on Naxos dedicated to Mozart to be released in 2024. He is a featured artist on Tonebase.