Abhijit Sengupta recently joined Ojai Music Festival as Executive Director. He previously held the position of Artistic Director and CEO of Fontana Chamber Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he presented a wide array of chamber music and jazz and launched an innovative fellowship program for university music students.

As a violist, Mr. Sengupta has previously served as principal viola with the Florida Philharmonic, Houston Grand Opera, Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic and the New World Symphony. In 2005 he accepted an appointment as artistic administrator at Da Camera of Houston, launching a dual career as musician and administrator. Nominated in January to the national board of Chamber Music America, he is the chair of its 2012 National Conference in New York City. Mr. Sengupta has served as an adjudicator of grant applications for arts funding for the cities of Houston and Dallas and in June of 2011 served serve as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and its grant program, Art Works. He continues to be an active violist and can be heard with the Houston Symphony, early and new music ensembles and on the Fontana series. He appears annually at the Grand Teton Music Festival and has performed at the Spoleto Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Sunflower Festival, Next Generation Festival and the Sangat Festival in India.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Indian parents, Mr. Sengupta attended Yale University, graduating in 1994 with a degree in economics, and the University Of Southern California School Of Music, graduating in 1996 with a master’s degree in viola performance.