Sarah Alden is best known for her work with the experimental collective The Luminescent Orchestrii. With swaggering authenticity, the group fearlessly bridged genres such as Middle Eastern, Gypsy, jazz, hip-hop, and punk. The Luminescent Orchestrii released four records, toured internationally, and garnered prime exposure from The New York Times and Time Out New York. Often The Luminescent Orchestrii collaborated with the Grammy award-winning old-time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Outside the band, Alden has released the critically acclaimed solo debut, Fists of Violets. As a freelance musician, her masterful versatility has enabled her to work with a broad array of artists such as Baby Dee, Howard Fishman Quartet, Dan Zanes, Rana Santacruz, and Astrograss, among others. She’s also had the distinguished honor of touring as a folk musician with the US State Department as an American Music Ambassador and with Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of the Rhythm Road project. In 2013, Alden was awarded an OneBeat fellowship with Bang on a Can and Found Sound Nation and the US State Department. This honor enabled her to tour and collaborate with 25 handpicked musicians from around the world.