Lady Zen

Chris Lee Zadravec (a.k.a. Lady Zen) started playing cello at the age of 8. As a child, she performed in the South Jersey Pops Orchestra and New Jersey's All State Orchestra. She attended Mason Gross School of the Arts under the tutelage of Zara Nelsova. But realizing that something was lacking in her playing, she left music school after a year to pursue a degree in Philosophy. "Despite the fact that I did not last long at Mason Gross, my musical awakening did occur while I was there; it happened when I met singer / songwriter Mike Kovacs. Meeting him was the most important event of my life and playing with him helped me reveal a passion for music that I never knew existed." She then realized that the classical repertoire that she had practiced for years did not speak to her the way that rock n' roll did, so she began her career as a "non-traditional" cellist. After doing free-lance work for local NJ artists such as Spiraling, Alan Horvath, and Zen Zadravec, she committed herself to playing in Mike Kovacs' band "The Post Modern Tribe.” But she quit the band after almost 10 years, deciding to complete her musical studies. “After I left Mike’s band, and I realized quite a few things about myself. Although it takes drive and ambition to be a successful musician, it also takes a great deal of love for the craft - and love was something that I didn’t really have earlier on. But now, I find myself obsessed with the cello, and I am thankful for all of the experiences (good and bad) that have led me here.” Lady Zen spent 2 years taking cello lessons with Elizabeth Kalfayan, and focusing on her own compositions. Now, she’s back on the scene with a new technique, and fresh conviction to achieve the musical success that she wants.