The Charlotte Center Forum featuring Vijay Gupta

Participate in the important questions of our time. The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings people together through the lens of the humanities and civic imagination.

You’re invited to the September 29, 2026 gathering of The Forum featuring Vijay Gupta

Join The Charlotte Center for Humanities and The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation for an unforgettable evening with Vijay Gupta—MacArthur Fellow, acclaimed violinist, founder of Street Symphony, and author of the memoir Restrung: A Memoir of Music and Transformation. Described by The New Yorker as "a visionary violinist and a radical thinker," Gupta has dedicated his career to exploring the extraordinary power of music to transform lives and strengthen our shared humanity. Through his work as a performer, educator, and social innovator, he invites audiences to reconsider the role of art not simply as entertainment, but as an essential force for healing, connection, and hope.

The evening begins with a light reception, where guests can gather before settling in for an inspiring conversation with Vijay. Blending personal stories, insights from neuroscience, and reflections on leadership, resilience, and compassion, the conversation will explore how creativity can help us navigate uncertainty and rediscover what connects us. Throughout the program, Vijay will also share live violin performances, creating an experience that is as emotionally moving as it is intellectually engaging.

Following the conversation, audience members will have the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A before meeting Vijay during a book signing.

Whether you're passionate about music, leadership, mental health, social justice, or simply curious about the ways art shapes our lives, this promises to be a remarkable evening of conversation, reflection, and inspiration.

Your ticket includes:

• Reception with light refreshments

• Featured presentation by Vijay Gupta

• Live musical performances throughout the evening

• Audience Q&A

• Book signing following the program

Join us for an extraordinary evening with one of today's most compelling artists and thinkers—and discover why music has the power not only to move us, but to change the way we see one another and the world around us.

Connect. Consider. Ignite. Doors open at 5:30 to mix and mingle. The program runs from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM including time for conversation, connections, and Q&A.

The Forum has a three-part structure:

• First third: Opening remarks, performance, and audience prompt and connection;

• Middle third: Featured presentation with audience Q&A;

• Final third: Audience prompt and closing.

THE HUMANITIES | Languages | Literature | History | Philosophy | Religion | And More

About The Charlotte Center

The Charlotte Center is a community forum and civic action catalyst that invites curious people into meaningful connection and problem-solving informed by deep consideration of the human experience. Our mission is to help people and communities flourish. 

The Charlotte Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are supported by individual donors, grants, sponsorships, and revenue from our programs. We invite you to join us.

thecharlottecenter.org