Karl Lyden is one of the in-demand trombonist chameleons of New York City. He has performed/recorded with such artists as Dafnis Prieto, Lawrence, John Daversa, No BS! Brass, A Winged Victory for the Sullen and since 2015 has been a member of ska-punk band Streetlight Manifesto. Karl has played for almost 20 Broadway shows including holding a chair on the following: Old Friends, Water for Elephants ​(replacement), Rocktopia, and Prince of Broadway. He has also won a position in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular five times (2017-18, 2023-25).

Equally adept in orchestral settings, Karl has performed with Princeton Symphony, On Site Opera, and Pegasus the Orchestra. In the summer of 2013, Karl was selected to perform at Disneyland as lead trombonist with the All-American College Band. His low brass versatility spans alto, tenor, and bass trombones as well as euphonium.

As a composer-arranger, Karl garnered acclaim from a young age. His first big band piece “Downside Up” was the 2011 Winner for Undergraduate Orchestrated Work in Downbeat magazine. He released a debut album of originals for jazz octet, Undercurrents, in 2015. More recently, he has arranged for 35-piece orchestra to accompany Streetlight Manifesto. 

Karl received his B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he became well-versed in jazz and classical. He then completed a Master's at New York University where he was an adjunct faculty instructor.