This is Daphne

Name: Daphne Chen

Age: 31

Location: Los Angeles, California

Hometown: Bedford, Texas

Occupation: Violinist, string arranger, studio musician, and member of The Section Quartet

Tied To Form

I can’t remember not playing. When I was a kid my mom drove me four hours from Dallas to Houston every Saturday for a two-hour lesson. For orchestra performances I had the big pouffy dresses. I told a friend in high school, “I can’t be in a band, I’m a violin player.”

Breaking Strings

I went to USC to learn the rules; at CalArts, I learned how to break them. I joined The Section Quartet five years ago. I draw from my experience—the textures of classical, the weirdness of avant-garde music—and apply it to these more accessible songs. I’ve always wanted to arrange [David Bowie’s] “Space Oddity.”

And Those Are Her Things

1. Concert violin: “This was made in 1892 in Rome by Antonio Sgarbi. I recorded Fuzzbox on it.”

2. Retired ashtray and adjacent gum replacement: “I stopped smoking the day of the record release in New York, August 21st. Well, the day after.”

3. French and electrified German violins: “I used this one while playing in an experimental tango band. The blond’s name is Hermon.”

4. Corset: “I had this made for me at the Trashy Lingerie store for when we played Coachella 2006.”

5. Sun painting: “My mom made this in the sixties.”

6. Photograph with Linda Martinez: “This is a picture of me with a friend who recently passed away: musical genius, my mentor, and cheerleader—I wouldn’t be who I am today with out her.”

7. Feather headpiece: “My friend Emily made this for Section’s L.A. release of the album at The Troubadour.”

8. Theremin: “You play this without touching it. It makes the sound you hear in horror films.”

9. First violin: “I’ve had it since I was five.”