Christen Lien

Using guitar effects and a looping machine, classically trained violist Christen Lien performs original compositions on viola and harmonica that are a beautiful mixture of East and West, classical and postmodern, and acoustic and electronic. Lien’s debut album is called Vol. I: Battle Cry and it reflects a 24-year journey of challenging and expanding classical Viola expression. Spontaneously creating then incorporating layers of live effects, Lien paints music with guitar effect pedals, live ...

Using guitar effects and a looping machine, classically trained violist Christen Lien performs original compositions on viola and harmonica that are a beautiful mixture of East and West, classical and postmodern, and acoustic and electronic. Lien’s debut album is called Vol. I: Battle Cry and it reflects a 24-year journey of challenging and expanding classical Viola expression. Spontaneously creating then incorporating layers of live effects, Lien paints music with guitar effect pedals, live looping, melodic mixing and expressive performance. For more info, visit www.itsnotaviolin.com.