Host
Baktash Ahadi
Description
In this episode, we discuss loneliness and brokenness, and the power of music to be the catalyst for connection and healing. Vijay shares his origin story as a child prodigy attending the world-renowned Juilliard School of Music, and the weight this title put both figuratively on his shoulders, and literally on his body, as he used food to cope with difficult emotions.
Vijay reflects on his first time playing music in homeless shelters in Skid Row, what this experience taught him about humanity, pain, and vulnerability, and how he ultimately ended up founding Street Symphony.
Finally, Vijay discusses how he met and formed a relationship with Nathanial Ayers, another Juilliard musician who dropped out due to schizophrenia and became homeless at Skid Row. The story of Nathanial Ayers is portrayed in a Hollywood feature-film, The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
Discussion Questions
- How do stories of connection militate against structures of isolation and loneliness?
- How does music make you feel connected to your communities?
