Vienna Teng

Rock/pop

Computer-programmer-turned-professional-musician Vienna Teng says her second album, Warm Strangers (Soltruna), is as much an exercise in storytelling as it is in aural experimentation. The classically trained pianist -- whose sparkling playing and crystalline voice has drawn comparisons to everyone from Sarah McLachlan to Norah Jones ("That one, I don't get at all," Teng laments) -- calls the new album less autobiographical and far more observational. "The first record [Waking Hour] was written when I was still in college, so there was a lot of these "What-am-I-doing-with-my-life' kind of songs," the 25-year-old San Francisco native says by phone. "This record was like writing short stories in the form of songs; I was exploring more outside myself." That's for sure: "Passage" is a haunting a cappella number told from the perspective of a car-accident victim, while "Shasta (Carrie's Song)," addresses abortion from a uniquely serene perspective. For the new record, Teng went for "a more chamber-orchestra sort of sound with strings and horns, and the occasional oboe, too." Onstage, she's joined by violinist Alan Lin and cellist Marika Hughes and will perform a mix of original material and covers. "I like everything from Peter, Paul & Mary to Damien Rice, so you never know," she says.

Sat., April 10, 7 (sold out) and 10 p.m., $12-$15, with The Animators, The Point, 880 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, 866-468-7619.

—Nicole Pensiero

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