Isabel Hagen

Isabel Hagen is an American violist, comedian, and filmmaker.

Early life and education Isabel Hagen was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in Manhattan. She started playing the violin at age 5 and switched to the viola at age 10. At age 12 she joined the pre-college program at the Juilliard School where she studied with Kenji Bunch for six years. She studied at the Juilliard School, earning a bachelor's degree in 2013 and a master's degree in 2015 in viola performance. As a pit musician she performed in several Broadway productions including Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, The Lion King, and Rocktopia. In June 2022, Hagen was featured at the 2022 American Viola Society Festival & 47th International Viola Congress.

Comedy During her sophomore year, Hagen made a YouTube video How to Convince People You're Really Good at Chamber Music inspired by Jenna Marbles' How to Trick People into Thinking You're Good Looking. The positive responses among conservatory students gave her the confidence to pursue comedy. While getting her master's degree, Hagen started participating in open mic nights when she developed repetitive stress syndrome and could not practice for a couple of months.

She became known to a larger audience on March 11, 2020, when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She made a second appearance on the show on October 26, 2022, including her viola in her performance.

Film In 2020, Hagen starred in the web series Is A Violist, which she also wrote and directed. The film later screened at festivals including the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, New Hampshire Film Festival, and Naples International Film Festival (where it won both Best Narrative Feature and the Focus on the Arts Award).

Podcast From 2020 to 2021, Hagen hosted the podcast Good Timing with Isabel Hagen in which she talked with other artists about the creative process and performance anxiety. Guests included Eric Bogosian, Maria Bamford, Andy Kindler, and David Corenswet.