20 year-old Vijay Venkatesh began playing piano at age four and at 14, made his orchestral debut with the South Coast Symphony.  He has performed with the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, the Transylvania Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Rio Hondo Symphony Orchestra. He is the 2008 Grand Prize Winner of the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards, and recipient of the  Davidson Fellow Award, honored with a reception at the Library of Congress. His career has spanned the US, Spain, and France through his  management, as well as a tour of France, Monaco, Italy, Turkey and Greece sponsored by the Los Angeles Music Center and Crystal  Cruises. His recordings include an album available on iTunes and AmazonMP3 on the Other Records label: “Vijay Performs Chopin.” with  which he is currently signed and managed. An alumnus of From the Top and an Aspen Music Festival Fellow, Mr. Venkatesh was also 1st  prize winner of the 2004 Russian International Piano Competition and 1st prize winner of the 2007 World Piano Pedagogue Competition. A former student of Dr. Sarkis Baltaian, he currently studies privately with Norman Krieger at the University of Southern California.