Javen “Jae” C. Lara is from Harlem, New York City. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School while studying at The Kaufman Music Center, mentored by the Kronos Quartet. She has performed at Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Carnegie Hall and other prolific NYC venues. She is a 2016 VIVO International Competition winner, as well as a three time winner of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Competition 2014-2016. She was the assistant principal violist for the New York Youth Symphony’s 2015-2016 season. Graduating from Bard College and Conservatory in Italian Studies and Viola Performance, she has studied privately under Honggang Li as well as Luis García-Renart, Raman Ramakrishnan, Peter Wiley and more for chamber music. Lara was one of two of the first African-American graduates of Bard College Conservatory. She was a member of the first all black orchestra to perform at Carnegie Hall, Gateways Symphony Orchestra. Lara is in two bands: the violist and co-lead vocalist of Seven, with renowned cellist and co-lead vocalist Aliya Ultan and the duo  Neptune’s Return, as an instrumentalist and vocalist with Adia Cristina Lara-Thein.