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Description
Sea Coast Symphony February Concert
Program:
Overture to Magic Flute - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto in A minor (Vijay Venkatesh, piano) - Edvard Grieg
Symphony No. 9 “The Great” - Franz Schubert
About Our Soloist:
Hailed by the Herald-Tribune for his “dazzling pianism verging on the impossible—effortless
technical command combined with poetry and refinement that belies his years,” Indian-
American pianist Vijay Venkatesh is rapidly establishing himself as one of the leading pianists of
his generation. Celebrated on three continents for his “fresh and inspired” artistry (Cincinnati
Courier), he has earned top prizes at the San Jose, Seattle, Zimmerli, World Piano, and Waring
International Piano Competitions. Among his many accolades, he has been honored as 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 has been featured
on Performance Today® with Fred Child, NPR’s From the Top, and What Makes It Great? with
Robert Kapilow.
Highlights of his recent and upcoming season include five performances of Rachmaninoff’s
monumental Third Concerto with Michael Butterman (Lancaster Symphony) and Norman
Huynh (Bozeman Symphony), Grieg’s Concerto in A Minor with Dean Anderson (SeaCoast
Symphony), Mozart’s Concerto for two pianos with Barry Silverman (South Coast Symphony),
Gershwin’s Concerto in F with John Masko (Brockton Symphony) and Rhapsody in Blue with
Scott Krijnen (Cambrian Symphony) and Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and
Orff’s Carmina Burana for two pianos with Michael Christie (New West Symphony). He also
appears in recital at the Boston Court Theatre, Casa Romantica, Highlands-Cashiers Festival,
The 222 Healdsburg, Music in the Mountains, ProMusica San Miguel de Allende, Ridgecrest
Chamber Music Society, Soka Performing Arts Center, and numerous distinguished series
across the U.S.
As soloist, Venkatesh has performed extensively across the United States and Europe 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 conductors including 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, and Ken
Lam. Recent highlights include performances 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 appearances at the Aspen, Brevard, Banff, Highlands-
Cashiers, Newport, ProMusica, Redlands Bowl, Sarasota, Vienna, and Music in the Mountains
Festivals.
A devoted chamber musician, Venkatesh tours widely as part of the Vieness Piano Duo with his
wife, pianist Eva Schaumkell, enchanting audiences across North America and Europe with their
dynamic performances. He is also pianist of the Aristeia Trio, winners of the Frances Walton
International Chamber Music Competition, with whom he has toured extensively, including 30
concerts across Washington State and broadcasts on KING-FM 89.1.
A native of California, Venkatesh earned his Artist Diploma at the Colburn School under Fabio
Bidini, where he was awarded the prestigious Amron-Sutherland Grant for Pianists. He holds
additional degrees from the USC Thornton School of Music and the Indiana University Jacobs
School of Music, where he studied as a Barbara and David Jacobs Fellow with Norman Krieger,
Jeffrey Kahane, and André Watts. His earlier mentors include Sarkis Baltaian, Menahem
Pressler, and Murray Perahia.
His recent recordings include the music of Lucas Richman on Albany Records (2022) and a
debut on Naxos dedicated to Mozart (2025). Venkatesh is also a featured artist on Tonebase,
where his artistry continues to inspire pianists around the world.
Date & Time
Fri, Feb 6, 2026 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Venue Details
Capistrano Valley High School Performing Arts Center
26301 Via EscolarMission Viejo, California 92692
