Blake Liahona Allen is a performer and researcher specializing in contemporary viola repertoire. He holds a PhD in Music Performance and Composition from New York University, where he studied with Stephanie Baer and received the NYU Research Award and Travel Grant to conduct archival work in Budapest at the Bartók Archives. His doctoral research examined folklore heritage, mathematics, and fractal-like development in György Ligeti’s Viola Sonata (1991–1994) through musical, rhythmic, and linguistic perception, culminating in the only known single reductive analysis of the work. A dedicated contemporary violist, Allen is active in solo and chamber performance, with a particular focus on 20th- and 21st-century works. By combining rigorous scholarship with an active performance career, he offers fresh insight into the cultural, historical, and technical dimensions of the instrument’s modern repertoire—work that aligns closely with the American Viola Society’s mission to inspire and educate the viola community.