At the young age of 13, Nikhil Sengupta is not only an accomplished violinist but also an emerging ballet star. Nikhil has been studying violin under Liba Schacht at the Lyric Opera for the past 4 years, while also training at A&A Ballet under the direction of Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev. This past year, Nikhil decided to take a year off from traditional school and pursue his passion for the arts full-time at a conservatory. He recently performed the first movement of Mozart’s Concerto 3 as a soloist with South Loop Symphony Orchestra and competed in the finals of international ballet competition Youth America Grand Prix at the Lincoln Center.
Nikhil will continue his ballet studies this summer at Houston Ballet Academy and the Royal Ballet School in London. We’re so impressed by what he has accomplished in his year chasing his dreams, and hope this interview could inspire you to pursue your passions too.
You took a year off school the past year to do ballet full-time at a conservatory. How did that decision come to place and what inspired that?
Originally it just came up as a joke — Can I go to conservatory next year? — and we didn’t have any concrete plans of doing that until we knew how the high school system works in Chicago. Your grades in seventh grade get counted to your admission to high school, in eighth grade it doesn’t matter as much; we were able to take a gap year. There were a lot of other students at my ballet studio who were thinking about doing the same thing. So we decided as a group to transfer together.
How long have you been doing ballet? Do you have a ballet hero?
I have been doing ballet for about three years now, and I’ve been dancing since 2021. My biggest hero in ballet is António Casalinho. He’s Portuguese, and only 21 years old.
You’ve been with CYSO for six years. How does the violin play into your artistic journey? Is there a ballet, or a violin piece that you like playing?
So, originally I had done gymnastics from around 2016 to 2021. That was one of the main reasons I switched to ballet because it incorporated both movement and music. That got me to where I am today. I don’t have a favorite piece to play on the violin, but generally, the skill level you have to be at to play these pieces is — I don’t know, it’s amazing.
Outside of violin and ballet, what else are you interested in doing?
Getting into the math side, I’m interested in architecture. Chicago is an especially architecturally rich city. Also, I don’t do it as much nowadays, but I like to crochet when I have the time. I would make little animals; I could never do any big projects, but that was one of my interests.
Do you think this year at the conservatory has given you a taste of what it’s like to pursue ballet as a career?
It was a good experience, I have views on what it’s like to go to a school full-time and to do ballet full-time. We’re going to try out high school, and after that, I can see what I want to do from there.
Recently you worked with the South Loop Symphony Orchestra as a soloist. How did you get that opportunity and what was it like preparing for and playing with them? How did it feel performing with people who are much older than you?
That was a really fun experience. It was my first time playing as a soloist with an orchestra. I was able to learn a lot from it, and the conductor, — Ahmed, — they were really easy to work with and they made the process a lot better. It was a little intimidating, but, the day that I was performing, once I got up there, it went away and it was just focusing on playing out, and my sound. It was fun!
Do you think being in CYSO has prepared you for being in that orchestra setting?
Yeah, definitely, it taught me how to play with other people. Without CYSO, I would never have had that experience. I think the level of music they choose and the repertoire is so different than what you could get at a regular school orchestra. I also like meeting other people who are just as passionate about their instrument at CYSO.
You’re balancing so many extracurriculars, how has your family and community support helped you grow and become who you are?
At first, it was kind of a struggle. I’d still have to keep at a high level in school and manage six hours of ballet a day, on top of orchestra on the weekends. With the help of my counselors and parents, we found a specific schedule and organization to make it easier. Now that I have the skills from this year, it will be a lot easier to manage. My family has been supportive, especially my parents. I did not expect them to let me do this full-time.
What are you looking forward to most in high school?
Meeting new friends. Also, math is my favorite subject, and I’m excited about that too.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I would love to be a professional dancer, that’s one of my dreams. But, being an architect calls to me too. I can figure that out within the next few years,
Do you have any advice for other students who are like you, who have a lot of different passions?
Just follow your passions and work your hardest.
