L.A. Philharmonic's Robert Gupta to Perform for Homeless and Mentally Ill

Los Angeles Philhamonic violinist Robert Gupta will perform classical music for the city's homeless and mentally ill Wednesday in a concert hosted by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

The popular concert series is part of the national recognition of May as "Mental Health Awareness Month."

The concert is open to the homeless from any part of the city, including Venice, and will be held May 16 at 12 p.m. at the department's downtown Mental Health Center at 529 So. Maple Ave.

Gupta will perform with his Street Symphony that will include fellow L.A. Philharmonic musicians, Jin-Shan Dai, Ben Ullery and Jonathan Karoly.

Gupta, who joined the L.A. Philharmonic in 2007 at age 19, has been performing for the homeless and mentally ill through his Street Symphony since 2010, said Karen Zarsadiaz-Ige, a spokeswoman for the county's mental health department.

Gupta earned a master's degree in music from Yale University and a bachelor's degree in in biology from Marist College. He was named a 2011 TED Senior Fellow and also is well known for giving violin lessons to Nathaniel Ayers, the homeless man who was the subject of many columns by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and the subject of the book and film, The Soloist.

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health is the largest county-operated mental health department in the United States.