Lavena

Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Lavena’s parents started her on cello at age 6, but she didn’t take to the instrument until her father gave her a CD of Jacqueline du Pré performing Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. Inspired by du Pré’s incredible sound and fearless bravura, Lavena fell in love with the cello and knew that music was her calling.

After finishing her studies at the Peabody Conservatory Lavena became a founding member of The Atlas String Quartet, which made the semifinals of The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2014. After achieving her lifelong dream of making it to the Fischoff competition, a period of reflection transpired which sent Lavena down an even more adventurous path. 

In Baltimore, she quickly found herself entrenched in the city's new music scene. Through the Evolution Contemporary Music Series, Lavena was able to work with and perform solo and chamber music by Bryce Dessner, Ted Hearne, Amy Beth Kirsten, Jessie Montgomery, Gemma Peacocke, Caroline Shaw, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Julia Wolfe. In 2016, Lavena challenged herself to perform Michael Hersch’s first and second Sonatas for Unaccompanied Cello on the St. David’s Music Series. After bravely deciding to perform both of these brutal pieces in a single evening, Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun wrote: “The [First] Sonata suggests a haunted poem, and Johanson communicated its rare imagery in an intense, virtuosic performance.”

Seeking out exhilarating performing experiences of all kinds, Lavena has also toured as a cellist with the indie rock band Ra Ra Riot, playing to sold-out crowds at the 9:30 Club (Washington, DC), The House of Blues (Cleveland, OH), and Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL). 

Lavena is passionate about examining the unspoken pressures, biases, and insecurities that most musicians struggle with around practicing; her 2019 video and blog series 12 Months of Practicing is an outgrowth of that exploration. She also loves reading, writing, yoga, boxing, and dark, dystopian TV shows.