FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20 , 2017 9:00 a.m. CDT
Contact Jason Hogue, Peru State College Marketing and Communications, 402.872.2429
Peru, Nebraska – Violinist, co-founder of Street Symphony and mental health issue activist Vijay
Gupta will speak on campus as part of Peru State’s 2016-2017 Distinguished Speaker
Series.
Gupta will be on Peru State campus on March 27 at 7 p.m. to share his life story.
The public is welcome to attend this free event.
Gupta has performed internationally as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician
since he was eight. He debuted with the Israel Philharmonic at age eleven and joined
the Los Angeles Philharmonic when he turned 19.
Gupta has an undergraduate degree in pre-med biology and a master’s degree in music
from Yale. The University of La Verne in California presented an honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters to Gupta when he was 27. Currently, he is earning a Ph.D. in community
psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Not only is Gupta known for his musical talents, but he is a renowned activist for
mental health issues. Gupta has worked for many research projects about spinal cord
neuronal regeneration, neurodegenerative biology, and the biochemical pathology of
Parkinson’s disease.
Mostly fascinated by the connection between mental health and music, Gupta believes
music can be a strong redemptive and regenerative power in the body.
Also, Gupta is a co-founder and director of Street Symphony, a musical program that
engages marginalized communities, such as the homeless, mentally ill and those who
are incarcerated.
For more information, visit www.peru.edu or 1-800-742-4412.
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Ashley Peiman contributed to this release.