Cellist Rajan Kapoor is an avid solo, chamber, and orchestral musician who has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. Rajan is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford, studying with Professor Mihai Tetel. Previously, he served as a String Quartet Fellow and Teaching Assistant to Professor Edward Arron at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His primary instruction included studies with professors Marion Feldman at New York University and Miroslav Petráš of the Academy of Music in Prague, Czech Republic.

Rajan has performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra, the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and Loft Opera in Brooklyn, NY, amongst other ensembles. He has served as principal cellist of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, Opus One String Orchestra, Brevard Sinfonia, Hartt Symphony, UMass Symphony Orchestra, and NYU Opera Orchestra. Additionally, Rajan performs regularly with the Connecticut Virtuosi and the Opera Company of Middlebury, VT. He has served as a fellow with the Texas and Manchester Music Festivals as well as the Stamford Symphony Orchestra.

In 2018, Rajan received 1st Prize in the Grand Junction Symphony Young Artist Competition, which led to performances of the Elgar Cello Concerto with the orchestra, under the baton of Charles Latshaw, in the fall of that year. He has also received 1st Prize in the Connecticut Bach Festival Competition, 1st Prize in the MTNA Eastern Division Young Artist Competition, and 3rd Prize in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England’s International Chamber Ensemble Competition. Rajan has gained additional recognition in the Hellam, Mondavi, Paranov, and Orchestra Noir Young Artist competitions and plays on an 1855 Goldmann cello generously loaned to him by the Carlsen Cello Foundation.

As an educator, Rajan teaches cello and chamber music with The Hartt School Community Division, is the private cello instructor for The Loomis Chaffee School, and works with students in underserved communities through the Worcester Chamber Music Society’s Neighborhood Strings program. He is currently a Music Educator and Teaching Artist fellow, a program launched by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to help teaching artists improve their work with youth in schools and community settings across Massachusetts. Previously, Rajan taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Clark University.

In 2017, Rajan co-founded the non-profit organization An die Musik NYC and currently serves as its assistant director. ADM is a year-long concert series bringing the people of New York City high-quality classical music at affordable prices that, now in its third season, continues to present internationally renowned performers alongside many rising talents from the NYC community.