Cityscapes
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Saturday June 13, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Hammer Theatre
Free Admission/Donations Accepted
​Suggested Donation $25 Per Adult

Scott Krijnen, conductor and artistic director
Vijay Venkatesh, piano

Montgomery: Coincident Dances
Ellington: Harlem
Grieg: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A minor
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

(photo credit Mark Harry Westling)

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 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."   

An immersive and versatile soloist, Mr. Venkatesh has performed extensively in North America and Europe as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Vienna, Sarasota, Pasadena, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Bangor, to name a few. He has collaborated with preeminent conductors such as James Conlon, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jeffrey Kahane, Ludovic Morlot, Michael Christie, Roger Kalia, Eckart Preu, Lucas Richman, Michael Repper, Michael Butterman, Martin Majkut, and more. Mr. Venkatesh appeared in recent seasons at Segerstrom Concert Hall with the Colburn Orchestra, Chicago's Dame Myra Hess series, Grand Piano Series in Naples, and at the Aspen, Brevard, Banff, Highlands- Cashiers, Music in the Mountains, Newport, Redlands Bowl, Sarasota, and Vienna Music Festivals. As recipient of the inaugural Parnassus Society Prize, he performed in recital at the Soka Performing Arts Center.   

An active chamber musician, Venkatesh has appeared twelve times on Le Salon de Musiques and tours as the Vieness Piano Duo with his wife and pianist, Eva Schaumkell.   

Originally from California, Mr. Venkatesh holds degrees from the Colburn School, USC Thornton and IU Jacobs having studied with Fabio Bidini, Norman Krieger, Jeffrey Kahane, André Watts, Sarkis Baltaian, Menahem Pressler and Murray Perahia. He was generously awarded the prestigious Amron-Sutherland Grant for Pianists from the Colburn School.

​Cambrian wins Best of the Bay 2016-2017 for Best New Music Performance and Best Discovery

Our heartfelt thanks go to Tamami Honma, Luis Andrei Cobo, and the Awesome Foundation San Jose for their collaboration and support!

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