Karen Kartal began her violin studies at the age of 9. After living in Switzerland
for three years, she returned to her home state to attended lllinois State University,
and Western Illinois University followed by graduate studies at Louisiana State University
where she won first prize in the concerto competitions at all three schools. Her
primary teachers include Almita Vamos, Camilla Wicks, Sally O’Reilly, and Arthur Lewis.
She completed her Suzuki teacher training at WIU with Lois Shepheard and has participated
in masterclasses and coaching with Jorja Fleezanis, Yair Kless, Glenn Dicterow, Janos
Starker, and Martin Lovett.
In addition to full time positions with the Shreveport and Knoxville Symphonies, Karen
has held the position of concertmaster of the Baton Rouge Opera, and the Lake Charles
Symphony, principal second with the Baton Rouge Symphony, and assistant concertmaster
of the Louisiana Symphonietta, Marshall Symphony, Longview Opera, and South Arkansas
Symphony. As assistant concertmaster of the Classical Symphony in Chicago, she performed
several concerts in Taiwan and Japan as part of their Far East Tour. Karen has been
concertmaster of the Oak Ridge Symphony since 2004, and is a regular performer on
the Oak Ridge Chamber series with the Cumberland Piano Trio and the Concertmaster
and Friends series.
Her true passion has always been playing chamber music and in 1991, her piano trio
won first prize in the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition. Karen has performed
chamber music concerts throughout the US at music festivals and as first violinist
of the Oak Ridge String Quartet. Summer music festivals include Spoleto Italy, Round
Top International, Sewannee Summer Music Festival, Chautauqua Institute, Britt Festival
and Oregon Coast Music Festival. She has been featured as soloist with several orchestras
including the Oak Ridge Symphony, Lake Charles Symphony, and the South Arkansas Symphony.
Before moving to Tennessee, Karen taught at McNeese State University in Louisiana
where she was concertmaster for the world premiere of Keith Gate’s opera Evangeline
and recorded a CD of Gate’s compositions for Summit Records. Karen is currently on
the faculty at Pellissippi State College and she also maintains a large private studio.
Her students frequently hold principal positions in the local youth orchestras, and
several have been featured as soloist with the Knoxville Youth Symphony, the Knoxville
Symphony and the Oak Ridge Symphony. Karen also performs jazz, blues, rock and Americana
music with her band, Kapitan Islander, and when she’s not performing or teaching,
she enjoys hiking, kayaking, kickboxing, traveling, and spending time with her family
and friends.