About

“His creative spirit overflows and he never lets a beautiful phrase or musical idea slip by without notice.”

- Barbara Sudweeks, violist [Dallas Symphony Orchestra]

Maryland-based Rizwan Jagani, is an American violist of Indian and Pakistani heritage. He reimagines the idea of what the viola can do by combining his formal training in Western Classical performance with other musical genres such as Bollywood, Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock, and more.

His diverse skillset has allowed many performance opportunities. This includes but not limited to collaborating with Kathak artist Farah Yasmeen Shaikh and companies Noorani Dance and Ishami Dance Company in “Saabit Qadam - Perseverance“; performing with Grammy Award-winning Afro-beats artist Burna Boy during his 2024 "I Told Them" tour stop in Washington DC; collaborating with Musical Theatre actress and songwriter Ari Afsar at the 2023 Indian American Impact gala; opening for comedy icon Zarna Garg for her 2022 New Years Eve show in Washington DC, and performing with Dwight Yoakam during his 2019 Las Vegas residency at the Wynn Casino.

As an accomplished Classical musician, Jagani has had the opportunity to perform as a recital soloist as well as an orchestral and chamber musician. He was Runner-Up in the 2024 Catholic University Concerto Competition performing Margaret Brouwer’s Viola Concerto. A champion of contemporary viola repertoire, Jagani has performed repertoire by composers such as Margaret Brouwer, Reina Esmail, Morten Lauridsen, André Mehmari, and more. In Spring of 2024 he premiered Michael DeMarco’s Meditation, a piece that was written with him in mind. He is currently Principal Violist of the Eisenstädter Sommerakademie festival orchestra and a member of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra’s Fellowship Program. He was Principal Violist of the Catholic University Symphony Orchestra for three years and performed in venues such as Strathmore Music Hall and the Kennedy Center. He has performed with esteemed conductors such as Alexandra Arrieche, David Chan, Andres Cardenes, Robert Moody, Murry Sidlin, Simeone Tartaglione, Victor Yampolsky, and Christopher Zimmerman, He was the founding violist of the Generations String Quartet at Austin College during the Covid-19 pandemic, which garnered Second Prize in the 2020 Great Composers Competition for their performance of Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4. In addition to the above mentioned, he is also an accomplished arranger, orchestrator, producer, and conductor.

As an educator, Jagani believes in the importance of passing down knowledge to the next generation. He particularly is a huge advocate for arts education and for the pursuit of careers in the arts in the South Asian diaspora. In June 2019, Jagani was invited to give a lecture recital in Karachi, Pakistani at the Liaqat National Hospital and Medical College about the rimportance of the arts in one's life, the academic approach to music, as well as share his personal story. In 2022, he was invited as a guest to Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan to present at the Sixth Sense Forum, the institute's lecture series. He gave a presentation on redefining cultural and professional norms from the lens of a South Asian-American musician of the Western Classical field. He is also an accomplished private lesson instructor and maintains an active teaching and coaching schedule.

Jagani performs on a viola made for him by Lukas Wronski named "Simba", a copy of the "Primrose" Andrea Guarneri viola of 1697. He also performs on a viola named “Águila” made by Kelin Zhang. His bows are by Canadian maker Michelle Speller and French maker Christian Barthe. He is also a Luxitune Artist and an brand ambassador for Eargasm Earplugs.

Jagani is set to receive his Doctor of Musical Arts from Catholic Unveristy of America. He also has degrees from University of Nevada Las Vegas, Carnegie Mellon University, and Austin College. In Fall 2023, he was awarded the Austin College “First Decade Award”, an honour given to alumni for their accomplishments within the first 10 years of graduation.

He is currently a student of Dr. Dan Zhang. His past teachers include Kate Hamilton, David Harding, Tatjana Mead Chamis, Barbara Sudweeks, Joni Baczewski, Cathy Richardson, Michael Drobycki, Larry Lattanzi, and Eugene Korshukin. He has also had masterclasses and coachings with James Ehnes, István Polónyi, Camila Meirelles, Matthew Hunter, and Gustavo Guerzman.

When not channeling his musical side, Jagani enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out and other fitness activities, plane spotting, dancing, cooking, modeling, and exploring new places through his travels.

Acknowledgements

• My parents Azra and Rayaz Jagani and my entire family.

• My musical Godmother Barbara Sudweeks for your endless guidance and care.

• Dr. Ricky Duhaime, Dr. John McGinn, and Cathy Richardson at Austin College for helping me facilitate the start of this journey.

• István Polónyi for helping me find my musical spark.

• Chee-Yun Kim for your advice that changed my life.

• Generations String Quartet for keeping me musically alive during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Summer Festival and Performance Participation:

• Eisenstädter Sommerakademie, Austria: 2016-2019,

  2023-2024

• International Pride Orchestra viola section,

  New York City: 2024

• Capital Pride Festival - Monument Stage Performer: 2024

• Bach at the Rock, Tennessee (USA): 2022-2023

• Scotia Festival of Music, Halifax (Canada): 2017-2018