Vivek M.

Locations
In-Home:
Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn
Teacher Studio: No
Virtual:
Yes

Ages and Levels Taught
Violin:
 7+, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Guitar: 7+, Beginner, Intermediate

Styles: Classical, Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Improvisation

Vivek is a violinist, guitarist, songwriter, and session musician based in New York City

Since he first picked up a violin at the age of three, Vivek has used music as an intensely personal and spiritual form of self-expression. He is a classically trained violinist and has worked with notable classical musicians such as Jennifer Koh, Donald Weilerstein, and members of the Kronos and Emerson string quartets.

Vivek seeks to further the work of people of color, women, and gender non-conforming composers who face erasure and other barriers within the industry. He is disillusioned with the stoic and stagnant culture surrounding classical music and is continually reimagining the experience of listening to a violin performance.

Vivek loves to explore and experiment with what is possible on the violin, which has led to several improvisations and arrangements outside of classical music. His collaborations with experimental electronic musician Dasychira have been praised as “serene” (
TANK Magazine) and “heavenly” (COLORXSTUDIOS). Most recently, his violin arrangements on LEI LINE EON, the latest album by IGLOOGHOST, were described as "gorgeous" (Loud and Quiet Magazine), “haunting” (ourculture), and “eloquent and inviting…[lending] a bittersweet timelessness” (The Guardian)

Vivek is also a guitarist with 15 years of experience performing in bands and writing original music. As a high schooler, he received a scholarship to a 5-week program at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he studied rock and jazz guitar techniques.

Vivek holds a bachelor's degree from UNC Chapel Hill and a master's degree from Mannes School of music. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in violin performance at Stony Brook University, where he studies with Phil Setzer, Jennifer Frautschi, and Arnaud Sussmann.