Akshay Dinakar

Biography

A vibrant, uplifting, and innovative blend of jazz EDM, deep house, modern classical, & bubble gum pop – violinist Akshay Dinakar brings an acoustic twirl to fresh dance grooves. A protégé of famed saxophonist Bobby Watson, and an improvisational prodigy, Dinakar picked up his fiddle at the age of 3, and has since gone on to perform in some of the world's greatest performance halls with Valery Gergiev, Joshua Bell, & Denis Matsuev as a long-standing member of Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra of the USA. Dinakar picked up early traction as a homegrown talent on YouTube, where his acoustic renditions of pop songs began to attract a following. His cover of Alesso's mega-hit "Heroes" was featured on the Swedish DJ's own Snapchat, and Dinakar's interpretation of Bruno Mars's "Versace on the Floor" picked up hundreds of thousands of views. From his masterclass with Gil Shaham being featured in Strad Magazine to signing an international music television contract with The QYOU, Dinakar has continued to shine as a multi-genre virtuoso, while actively exploring unique directions with his sound. Akshay currently serves as the Founder + Artistic Director of the Stanford Flashmob Orchestra.