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ETSU's 2026 Festival of Ideas: Vijay Gupta
Sponsored by The Bob Owens Community Leadership Fund
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 • 7:00 pm
Internationally celebrated musician, speaker and author Vijay Gupta will headline East Tennessee State University’s 2026 Festival of Ideas with a public presentation combining music and conversation titled “Why Music Education is Essential.”
Gupta is the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit that has presented thousands of musical workshops and performances in shelters, county jails, state hospitals and prisons.
Through this work, he has forged spaces of dignity and belonging for individuals recovering from homelessness, addiction and incarceration.
Gupta’s forthcoming book, “Restrung” — now available for pre-order—examines the role of the arts to heal, inspire and create spaces of shared dialogue. His work has been featured by the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Congress, Hallmark, and the Richmond Forum, among many others.
A member of the first violin section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 12 years, Gupta has appeared around the world as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He is a founding member of the Darshan Piano Trio and Tesserae Baroque, and his recordings span repertoire from Bach to contemporary works.
TICKETS
This event is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved. There is a four (4) ticket limit.
Rush Seating
In the event of a sellout, Rush Seating will be available for this event. Patrons
interested in Rush Seating should line up in the designated queue located at the front
entrance of the Martin Center, facing State of Franklin. Beginning at 7 pm, any empty
seats will be released to patrons waiting in the Rush Seating queue.
Please note: The Martin Center cannot guarantee all patrons waiting in the Rush Seating queue will be seated for the event. Rush Seating is first-come, first-served.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
EVENT - 7:00 pm
DOORS - 6:00 pm
LOCATION
ETSU Martin Center - ETSU Foundation Grand Hall
1320 W State of Franklin Rd, Johnson City, TN 37614
GET DIRECTIONS
FESTIVAL OF IDEAS