Ben Lee (violinist)
Encyclopedia
Ben Lee is an electric violin
ist and composer/producer from United Kingdom
. He is part of the two piece rock violin band FUSE, along with Linzi Stoppard
. Lee is popularly known as the "World's Fastest Electric Violinist" after setting a new Guinness world record playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" in 58.515 sec at Rogue Studios, London, UK, on 14 November 2010.
. While he was acquiring scholarships to various music schools during early teens, Lee was at 16 awarded “Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Composer of the Year".http://www.telegraph.co.uk
London from 1999-2003 studying violin and film music composition. Whilst studying, Lee found work as a session musician, recording for The Beta Band
on Heroes to Zeros
and subsequently recorded and performed with Razorlight
, Arctic Monkeys
,
Gorillaz
, Emmy the Great
, Goldfrapp
, Mel C, Lightspeed Champion
, White Lies
,
Qemists,
Jonathan Jeremiah and Mark Ronson
as well as leading The Heritage Orchestra
.
In 2005, Lee formed electric string quartet Eclipse which supported McFly
on the "Wonderland" tour of the same year.
to form the rock violin duo known as 'FUSE'.
In 2009, FUSE signed a £1m record deal with Edel AG Records, releasing their debut album "FUSE" the following year.
In the summer of 2009, Lee was involved in a minor traffic accident in which he was run over by a truck whilst cycling. He suffered damage to his right hand and wrist. His bandmate Stoppard inspired his rehabilitation by challenging him to break the Guinness World Record for "Fastest Violinist". Lee appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
on UK TV to make the attempt, missing out by 3 notes. He broke the record a week later setting a time of 64.21 seconds.
In December 2010, Lee broke the record again, this time on electric violin with the new time of 58.515 seconds.
FUSE perform on the world's most expensive electric violins. Valued at £1m each, Swarovski created a pair of violins for Lee and Stoppard.
FUSE have performed at many events and concerts around the world, including C Music TV
's European launch event at the 2008 Cannes
Television festival
and the 2009 British Red Cross
International Fundraising Committee Gala Ball.
FUSE switched on the 2009 Christmas Lights on Jermyn Street in London's "west end"
In September 2010, Lee performed with FUSE at Fashion For The Brave in London
for Help for Heroes
, the Household Cavalry
Operational Casualties Fund, and ABF - The Soldiers Charity.
In December 2010, Lee headlined at the Istanbul "Classical Crossover" festival with FUSE.
FUSE are also keen educators and were interviewed in the "European String Teachers Association" magazine in the summer of 2010.
Katie Grand
's "A Kind of Blue" for Armani starring Kelly Brook
and fashion shows for Alexander McQueen
.
Ben Lee is currently working on his first film score with Linzi Stoppard
for the upcoming feature "KTD 2020" for Fairbanks Productions.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and composer/producer from United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is part of the two piece rock violin band FUSE, along with Linzi Stoppard
Linzi Stoppard
-Biography:Linzi Stoppard started taking violin lessons at the age of four. She grew up in Surrey, and was trained under the Suzuki method.At the age of eighteen, Linzi Stoppard signed her first modeling contract, while still teaching and playing session violin...
. Lee is popularly known as the "World's Fastest Electric Violinist" after setting a new Guinness world record playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" in 58.515 sec at Rogue Studios, London, UK, on 14 November 2010.
Early life
When Lee was 11 he won a competition on the television show “The Children’s Channel” on BskyB, and recorded his first ever single at Capital RadioCapital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
. While he was acquiring scholarships to various music schools during early teens, Lee was at 16 awarded “Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Composer of the Year".http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Before FUSE
Lee attended the Royal College of MusicRoyal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
London from 1999-2003 studying violin and film music composition. Whilst studying, Lee found work as a session musician, recording for The Beta Band
The Beta Band
The Beta Band were a British musical group who received much critical acclaim and achieved cult status amongst avid followers of the underground and experimental music scene...
on Heroes to Zeros
Heroes to Zeros
Heroes to Zeros is the third and final studio album by The Beta Band, released in 2004.The cover illustration was created by comic book writer and artist Kaare Andrews...
and subsequently recorded and performed with Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
, Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
,
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
, Emmy the Great
Emmy the Great
Emma-Lee Moss , known by her stage name Emmy the Great, is a London-based singer-songwriter. She has released two albums, First Love and Virtue.-Early life:Moss was born in Hong Kong to an English father and a Chinese mother...
, Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
, Mel C, Lightspeed Champion
Lightspeed Champion
Devonté Hynes , better known as Lightspeed Champion or Blood Orange, is a British composer, songwriter, producer and author, who has written for artists such as Florence and the Machine, Diana Vickers and The Chemical Brothers on their 2007 Grammy award winning album We Are The Night...
, White Lies
White lies
White lies or Kind Lies are benign or trivial lies.One example of a white lie would be when a person falsely affirms that they consider their friend beautiful or intelligent so as to reinforce their friend's self-esteem...
,
Qemists,
Jonathan Jeremiah and Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
as well as leading The Heritage Orchestra
.
In 2005, Lee formed electric string quartet Eclipse which supported McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
on the "Wonderland" tour of the same year.
FUSE
At the end of 2007 Ben joined Linzi StoppardLinzi Stoppard
-Biography:Linzi Stoppard started taking violin lessons at the age of four. She grew up in Surrey, and was trained under the Suzuki method.At the age of eighteen, Linzi Stoppard signed her first modeling contract, while still teaching and playing session violin...
to form the rock violin duo known as 'FUSE'.
In 2009, FUSE signed a £1m record deal with Edel AG Records, releasing their debut album "FUSE" the following year.
In the summer of 2009, Lee was involved in a minor traffic accident in which he was run over by a truck whilst cycling. He suffered damage to his right hand and wrist. His bandmate Stoppard inspired his rehabilitation by challenging him to break the Guinness World Record for "Fastest Violinist". Lee appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
on UK TV to make the attempt, missing out by 3 notes. He broke the record a week later setting a time of 64.21 seconds.
In December 2010, Lee broke the record again, this time on electric violin with the new time of 58.515 seconds.
FUSE perform on the world's most expensive electric violins. Valued at £1m each, Swarovski created a pair of violins for Lee and Stoppard.
FUSE have performed at many events and concerts around the world, including C Music TV
C Music TV
C Music TV is an international music television channel dedicated to classical, soundtrack and chillout music videos.- History :C Music Entertainment Ltd was founded in 2007 and the channel's distribution is handled by Paris based Agents Thema. The C in C Music TV stands for the genres of the...
's European launch event at the 2008 Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
Television festival
and the 2009 British Red Cross
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
International Fundraising Committee Gala Ball.
FUSE switched on the 2009 Christmas Lights on Jermyn Street in London's "west end"
In September 2010, Lee performed with FUSE at Fashion For The Brave in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
, the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
Operational Casualties Fund, and ABF - The Soldiers Charity.
In December 2010, Lee headlined at the Istanbul "Classical Crossover" festival with FUSE.
FUSE are also keen educators and were interviewed in the "European String Teachers Association" magazine in the summer of 2010.
Music for Screen
Lee has contributed original music to film, TV and fashion shows, notably Sam Taylor Wood's "Nowhere Boy" feature film,Katie Grand
Katie Grand
Katie Grand is a British stylist and fashion journalist. Grand was born in Leeds, England in April 1971 and grew up in Selly Oak, Birmingham.- Early life :Grand grew up in Birmingham. She discovered fashion at 12, saying "I was really nerdy...
's "A Kind of Blue" for Armani starring Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
and fashion shows for Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
.
Ben Lee is currently working on his first film score with Linzi Stoppard
Linzi Stoppard
-Biography:Linzi Stoppard started taking violin lessons at the age of four. She grew up in Surrey, and was trained under the Suzuki method.At the age of eighteen, Linzi Stoppard signed her first modeling contract, while still teaching and playing session violin...
for the upcoming feature "KTD 2020" for Fairbanks Productions.