Karen read Law at Edinburgh University and qualified as a solicitor in 2006 before being awarded the Drapers' De Turckheim Vocal Scholarship at Trinity College of Music to undertake postgraduate vocal study with Laureen Livingstone. She is also a Choral Scholar at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich.
Operatic roles have included Queen of the Night in Mozart's Magic Flute, Gianetta in Donizetti's L'Elisir D'Amore, Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen, Marcellina in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Operatic exceprts while at Trinity College of Music have included the roles of Elisa in Mozart's Il Re Pastore, Karolina in Smetana's The Two Widows, Blonde in Mozart's Entfuhrung and Marina in Wolf-Ferrari's I quattro rusteghi.
Recent solo engagements include Messiah; Beethoven Mass in C; Mozart Requiem, Mass in C, Solemn Vespers and Exsultate Jubilate; Gounod Messe Solenelle; Bach St John Passion, and Faure Requiem.
In 2007, Karen was the winner of the Edinburgh Savoy Opera Medal in the Edinburgh Festival Competition and was honoured to be selected as a finalist in the Opéra Les Azuriales Young Singers Competition. She has participated in a wide range of workshops and masterclasses, performing the role of the Queen of the Night with David Pountney in a masterclass at Opera North in Leeds and spending a week studying with Robin Bowman at the Academie Internationale d'Ete de Nice.
Forthcoming appearances include playing the roles of Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill's opera Street Scene and Rose-In-Bloom in The Rose of Persia, and singing with Philharmonia Voices in The Pilgrim's Progress at Sadlers Wells.
