Viraj Sonawala

Viraj Sonawala teaches percussion and leads sectionals for the New Horizons Band of Western Mass at NCMC. Viraj received his B.M. in Percussion Performance and B.A. in Music Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his Master's in Percussion Performance at UMass Amherst. Viraj taught percussion at the Boys and Girls Club Hollywood Chapter and as a volunteer for Pacific Symphony. Viraj has attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Percussion Workshop, Sō Percussion Summer Institute, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and won third place in the California Percussive Arts Society Snare Drum competition. He is featured on the New Age for New Age (NA4NA) percussion album directed by Clara Warnaar and Sō Percussion's 25th Anniversary album release “25x25.”