Book an electrifying performance by Linzi Stoppard and her electric violin duo FUSE. Add sparkle, style and sophistication to your event and hire UK Electric Violinists FUSE.

About Linzi Stoppard

Linzi started learning the classical violin at the age of 4 and in her late teens switched to the electric having wanted to try and align herself more with the music she was buying, watching on TV and buying tickets to go and see live.

The decision was a good one; Linzi signed her first record deal after being spotted by a music producer in a London recording studio doing while doing sessions, an album followed and gave Linzi the platform to spread her wings. Other records followed with Positiva and EMI. In 2007 Linzi met fellow electric violinist Ben Lee who was also doing sessions and performing with various string acts. Linzi and Ben hatched a plan to try and re-write the stereo-type that the violin was a classical instrument with an album more commercial than had ever been tried before.

The virtuoso electric violinist duo FUSE was formed. By 2009 they had signed a record deal to a rock label alongside greats like Prince, Deep Purple, Simple Minds and Kiss to name a few. On their recent album Linzi and Ben harness their bespoke signature Swarovski Crystal electric violins and take Rock tracks that people love and radically but lovingly reinterpret them. As Linzi says, “It’s completely fresh, no one thought that what we do was even possible. The style that we use when we play is more akin to that of a guitar player, with more soul and electricity – literally! We chose work from artists that are huge stadium acts, and that’s where we want to be. It is that big and that powerful. We specialise in blowing away people’s preconceptions.”

What FUSE do is unique but they feel that the tracks that they reinvent are not untouchable. “We’re unafraid to cover classic rock tracks,” says Linzi “Don’t forget that all “classical” music today is cover versions of music by pop stars from the last 300 years! What we do can have a truly global appeal; there are no language barriers. Whilst we’re a string band, people can sing along to the choruses that we all know”.

The sound that FUSE generate takes serious know-how and technical skill. Linzi explains, “We play five string and four string instruments; this gives us more range than a normal violin. We play Bridge violins with Kevlar carbon fibre composite bodies. They could take a bullet for us!” Ben continues, “The violins are sprayed with a finish containing gold particles. We have particular tonal requirements – of course we keep our secrets to ourselves! – but I will say that we use guitar amps, combinations of valve heads and transistor heads and speaker cabinets. Other people playing electric violins just plug into a mixing desk whereas we use a series of effects pedals.” FUSE have had to invent new ways to render melodies that were vocal on the original tracks. FUSE aim to prove that the electric violin can be as versatile as the electric guitar. There’s no cutting down or simplification involved.

There is unquestionably a FUSE ‘sound’. Francis Rossi from Status Quo said, ‘I love what you’ve done, how did you get that sound?’ He ended up performing on our recording of ‘Down Down’. Nick Mason from Pink Floyd was at a gig and offered to drum for us!”

Linzi Stoppard is an electric violinist; who pushes the boundaries of musical convention with her passionate, live sets of rock, chill, dance and contemporary melodies. Ever challenging and always inventive, Linzi has transfixed audiences the world over with passionate and mesmerising performances. Each live set that Linzi plays sees musical influences from The Stones to Cafe del Mar bursting to life through electric strings and a bow that she wields like a magic wand.

Linzi and Ben took differing routes into FUSE, though their backgrounds have much in common. Both learned violin using the Suzuki method which Linzi describes as, “A rock n roll way of learning because it trains the ear rather than focusing on theory or reading music.” Both performed many of their first public shows busking.

Whilst Ben went on to study at the Royal College of Music, Linzi was diverted from that path just before taking the entrance exam as she was spotted by a producer whilst playing a session in a London studio. Chart success followed, “I played in America and Japan and found myself hanging out with people like The Cult and Killing Joke. That’s when I thought, ‘This is what I want to do’. International record deals with Never Records (USA), EMI and Avex brought great early success but I felt unfulfilled and it was then that I started out on the route of more rocky, edgy violin. My mother had been a frustrated violinist and Dad was into rock n roll so I’ve ended up in the right place!” Linzi is also a model [signed to the Models 1 agency] and has just been asked to be a Prince’s Trust Ambassador. She is the daughter-in-law of playwright Sir Tom Stoppard who is a big fan of FUSE and played the album whilst completing his latest project – ‘Fix You’ in particular.

Linzi had an enviable reputation as a solo electric violinist performing at prestigious events globally but was looking for a musical director to help take her ambitions to the next level. She and Ben first met when she borrowed his purple Yamaha violin for a photo shoot. For a couple of years Ben worked in the studio with Linzi until the idea of forming a duo clicked. “Whilst I’d been using electric violins for ten years and knew all about effects, Linzi brought her own tastes and unique vision to bear – FUSE is my palette and her brush!”

Choosing the tracks for the ‘Glorious’ album was not easy, but the duo picked personal favourites and tracks that they knew that most people love. Linzi says, “With the track ‘Glorious’ we needed to turn the vocal into a string line and it just worked, it’s a great song, one that you just hear people whistling.” More inventively Linzi relates, “We combined the mediaeval ‘O Fortuna’ from Carmina Burana with ‘Kashmir’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘Carmina’ felt a bit empty just on strings and amazingly we realised that the tracks had the same musical form. It works so well!”

FUSE have enjoyed some great live shows, including Glastonbury, headlining the GQ Awards, several Royal Albert Hall shows, supports for Bryan Adams, Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick and performing for Prince William and also Her Majesty The Queen.

With the release of their eponymous album, the band set the bar for electric violinists all over the world. FUSE’s contemporary ideas and step away from the classical-cliche sound are beyond reproach. The result is FUSE are the most talked-about and acclaimed string act in recent times.

“FUSE’s passion and vision challenges convention”

Each live show sees musical influences from Led Zeppelin to Vangelis coming to life through her electrifying violin and a bow that she wields like a magic wand.

Linzi has been playing the classical violin from the age of four when she attended the prestigious Suzuki Violin School which eschews traditional learning techniques for violin. Linzi was later spotted by a producer whilst playing a session in a London studio. Chart success followed, Linzi found herself performing all over the world and international record deals with Never Records (USA), EMI and Avex brought great early success. It was then that she started out on the route of more rocky, edgy violin. Linzi then nurtured her own sound and style on the electric violin, forging a successful solo career before teaming up with fellow electric violinist Ben Lee to form her new band FUSE.

About FUSE

Linzi has teamed up with fellow electric violinist Ben Lee to form her new rock electric violin band FUSE, and they will be launching their debut album in the Spring 2010.

Taking inspiration from their classical roots while combining it with modern well known melodies. FUSE believe it is possible to narrow the gap between the classical and pop audiences,. Their repertoire includes contemporary arrangements of well known hits and rock anthems. FUSE are the ‘face of’ the new international classical chillout music video channel, C Music TV, which they launched at the Cannes Television Festival.

Tailored Performances

When you book a performance by FUSE we can tailor the set to your requirements – a more chilled experience, perhaps you want a club vibe or high impact rock anthems from the FUSE album. To hear examples of all 3 music genres please click HERE >>