Asha Mevlana (born Asha Mevlana Clayton-Niederman) is an American violinist and travel presenter. She is known for playing an electric 7-string viper violin and for performing with the

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

. She has released two albums with the string quartet Invert and one with the Australian rock band Porcelain.

Biography

Mevlana attended the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division and went on to graduate from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

with a degree in viola performance. After graduation she moved to New York City, where she began working in public relations for

Zagat Survey The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, coverin ...

. In 1999 Mevlana was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 24. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and left her job with Zagat and began working as a music teacher and as an outreach coordinator for the Young Survival Coalition. Mevlana was presented with the Gilda Radner Award by The Wellness Community in 2004.

Career

While in New York and undergoing chemotherapy, Mevlana began performing with the alternative string quartet Invert, with whom she released two albums. In 2003 she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to pursue a career as an electric violinist and has since performed with artists such as

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...

Dee Snider Daniel "Dee" SniderTayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> (born March 15, 1955) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter o ...

and the

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...

. Mevlana has also performed ''

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

'' with

Gnarls Barkley Gnarls Barkley is an American soul music, soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere (album), St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contai ...

. Mevlana's TV appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Show,

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

Jimmy Kimmel Live ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywoo ...

, the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, the

MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards is a film and television awards show previously presented annually on MTV. It began as the MTV Movie Awards in 1992, when its 1992 MTV Movie Awards, first edition was held, and adopted its current name in 2017, beginnin ...

and

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

. Mevlana was also part of Porcelain, an Australian rock band signed to Universal Records which toured around North America. In 2009 the band's first single, ''The Last Song'', was named the Daily Telegraph's 'single of the week' and was aired on national radio in Australia. In 2011 Mevlana was hired as the string director and soloist for the

West Coast Tour and has toured around North America and Europe. Mevlana has also worked as a director and her debut documentary short ''Driven'' was released in 2011. She was also featured in the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...

pilots ''Lost Weekend'' and ''Destination Showdown'' as well as the Travel Presenter for Viator.com's web series. Her "Amplified Tiny House" was featured on Tiny House Nation on March 4, 2017 on FYI Network.

Discography

Albums with Invert

* ''Invert'' (2000) * ''Between the Seconds'' (2003)

With Porcelain

Albums

*''The Last Song (I'm Wasting On You)'' (2010)

Singles

* ''Again'' * ''The Last Song (I'm Wasting On You)''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mevlana, Asha Living people Wellesley College alumni American women violinists American session musicians Trans-Siberian Orchestra members American rock violinists 21st-century American violinists Year of birth missing (living people)