"Karen R. Clark has a beautiful voice that shows flexibility and nuance. Her performance is gorgeous."
American Record Guide
Vajra Voices founder and director, Karen R. Clark draws her musical heritage from the country and gospel traditions of southeastern Kentucky. Her parents migrated north due to the northern Indiana Steel Belt, which provided her with the opportunity to attend Indiana University School of Music. There, she studied opera and medieval music. Early in her career, she made her debut in New York and California as Mother Mary in medieval passions reconstructed by Thomas Binkley. Karen has toured and recorded with renowned ensembles, including Sequentia, New York Early Music, Boston Camerata, Waverly Consort, and Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble. In the realm of new music, she has premiered American songs by composers such as Ben Johnston, David Aaron Jaffee, and Pulitzer-composer Joseph Schwantner. Karen collaborated with the Galax Quartet to launch the 2008 concert, Far Out Friends, featuring Pulitzer-California poet Gary Snyder. The San Francisco concert showcased four song cycles on Gary’s poems and translations by composers Fred Frith, W.A. Mathieu, Robert Morris, and Roy Whelden.
Karen’s new music recordings are available on the Naxos label (On Cold Mountain), MicroFest Records (Ruminations), and the Music & Arts label (Dream Drapery). Karen, trained in the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education®, has developed a somatic approach to singing. Karen previously taught in association with the Music Department at University of Southern California, Sonoma State University, Swarthmore College, Princeton University, and UC Berkeley. She offers workshops and private lessons in the East Bay and online.
Karen’s new music recordings are available on the Naxos label (On Cold Mountain), MicroFest Records (Ruminations), and the Music & Arts label (Dream Drapery). Karen, trained in the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education®, has developed a somatic approach to singing. Karen previously taught in association with the Music Department at University of Southern California, Sonoma State University, Swarthmore College, Princeton University, and UC Berkeley. She offers workshops and private lessons in the East Bay and online.
Reviews
PRESS & REVIEWS
"Karen R. Clark has a beautiful voice that shows flexibility and nuance. Her performance of “O Quam Magnum Miraculum Est” is gorgeous."
American Record Guide. Peter Loewen
"Contralto Karen Clark played a prominent role in Garrett and Moulton's acclaimed 2014 production The Luminous Edge, and her glorious voice provided a good deal of the initial inspiration for Speak, Angels.”
San Jose Mercury News, Andrew Gilbert
"Sensitively performed by contralto Karen Clark— There's just enough Mahler to break your heart."
San Francisco Chronicle, Allan Ulrich
In truly lustrous voice, contralto Karen Clark, added immeasurable depth to The Luminous Edge.
San Francisco Classical Voice
"Karen Clark best known for her pure-voiced early music performances is sensitive to word,
pitch, tone, and sentiment.”
Los Angeles Times, Mark Swed
“This fascinating and beautiful new release, a collaboration between contralto Karen Clark and the Galax Quartet, boasts an endless dialogue between tradition and innovation, past and present. It’s mesmerizing. Clark’s majestic, throaty singing hints of modernist extravagance and medieval troubadours.”
San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
“How wonderful of him to write here for a contralto too, Karen R. Clark; it was her voice that co-inspired the work, along with the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Clark’s voice is a thing of beauty, but also what might be described as a plummy mystery; consistently fascinating
(I can see why Schwantner was so enamored).”
Fanfare, Colin Clarke
“Joseph Schwantner’s Dream Drapery Thoreau Songs is a series of thoughtful meditations, a perfect foil to the kinesthetic work before it. He gives us so much breathing room, room to contemplate and soak in Thoreau’s poetry, sung by Karen R. Clark in her haunting, dark, honey-gold voice.”
American Record Guide, Stephanie Boyd
"Another moment of great intensity was Hildegard’s O quam magnum miraculum est with Clark as solo voice, and a very sensual vielle accompaniment by Shira Kammen."
San Francisco Classical Voice, Niels Swinkle
"Karen Clark (as both Diana & Morpheus) is expressive, and assured, and manages to project a firmly moral demeanor, without sounding merely prim."
Music Web International, Glyn Pursglov
“Contralto, Karen Clark was a commanding presence as Humanity.”
San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
"Karen Clark's deep, robust mezzo-contralto voice and dramatic force served delightfully."
Seattle Times, Paul Harris
“Soprano Christine Brandes and mezzo-soprano Karen Clark (Young) are two of the very finest early-music female singers.”
Newark Star-Ledger
"Among the glories of this performance was Karen Clark who gave the "Laudamus te" a plaintive elegance."
The New York Times, Edward Rothstein
"Karen Clark's warm, rich mezzo soprano is one of the loveliest voices on the New York early music scene."
The New York Times, James Oestreich
"The most striking performance was with Karen Clark [Young.]With minimal vibrato and malleable tone,
Ms. Clark showed an astonishing range of expressive subtlety, carrying the listener rapt."
The New York Tomes, James Oestreich
"The evening's most exciting performer was Karen Clark. Ms. Clark's vocal power and riveting stage presence was an aching unforgettable display of pathos and musical subtlety."
The San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
“Karen Clark Young, the Mary of the Bloomington Passion, was again outstanding in her fearless affecting account if the Virgin’s planctus.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
“The Three Marys — Karen Clark Young, Laurie Monahan, and Miss Thornton--
seem the most beautiful soprano sound, strong, pure, and passionate, that I have heard in a long time.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
“Karen (Clark) Young, as Mary, gave beautifully judged and admirably sung performances.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
"Karen R. Clark has a beautiful voice that shows flexibility and nuance. Her performance of “O Quam Magnum Miraculum Est” is gorgeous."
American Record Guide. Peter Loewen
"Contralto Karen Clark played a prominent role in Garrett and Moulton's acclaimed 2014 production The Luminous Edge, and her glorious voice provided a good deal of the initial inspiration for Speak, Angels.”
San Jose Mercury News, Andrew Gilbert
"Sensitively performed by contralto Karen Clark— There's just enough Mahler to break your heart."
San Francisco Chronicle, Allan Ulrich
In truly lustrous voice, contralto Karen Clark, added immeasurable depth to The Luminous Edge.
San Francisco Classical Voice
"Karen Clark best known for her pure-voiced early music performances is sensitive to word,
pitch, tone, and sentiment.”
Los Angeles Times, Mark Swed
“This fascinating and beautiful new release, a collaboration between contralto Karen Clark and the Galax Quartet, boasts an endless dialogue between tradition and innovation, past and present. It’s mesmerizing. Clark’s majestic, throaty singing hints of modernist extravagance and medieval troubadours.”
San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
“How wonderful of him to write here for a contralto too, Karen R. Clark; it was her voice that co-inspired the work, along with the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Clark’s voice is a thing of beauty, but also what might be described as a plummy mystery; consistently fascinating
(I can see why Schwantner was so enamored).”
Fanfare, Colin Clarke
“Joseph Schwantner’s Dream Drapery Thoreau Songs is a series of thoughtful meditations, a perfect foil to the kinesthetic work before it. He gives us so much breathing room, room to contemplate and soak in Thoreau’s poetry, sung by Karen R. Clark in her haunting, dark, honey-gold voice.”
American Record Guide, Stephanie Boyd
"Another moment of great intensity was Hildegard’s O quam magnum miraculum est with Clark as solo voice, and a very sensual vielle accompaniment by Shira Kammen."
San Francisco Classical Voice, Niels Swinkle
"Karen Clark (as both Diana & Morpheus) is expressive, and assured, and manages to project a firmly moral demeanor, without sounding merely prim."
Music Web International, Glyn Pursglov
“Contralto, Karen Clark was a commanding presence as Humanity.”
San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
"Karen Clark's deep, robust mezzo-contralto voice and dramatic force served delightfully."
Seattle Times, Paul Harris
“Soprano Christine Brandes and mezzo-soprano Karen Clark (Young) are two of the very finest early-music female singers.”
Newark Star-Ledger
"Among the glories of this performance was Karen Clark who gave the "Laudamus te" a plaintive elegance."
The New York Times, Edward Rothstein
"Karen Clark's warm, rich mezzo soprano is one of the loveliest voices on the New York early music scene."
The New York Times, James Oestreich
"The most striking performance was with Karen Clark [Young.]With minimal vibrato and malleable tone,
Ms. Clark showed an astonishing range of expressive subtlety, carrying the listener rapt."
The New York Tomes, James Oestreich
"The evening's most exciting performer was Karen Clark. Ms. Clark's vocal power and riveting stage presence was an aching unforgettable display of pathos and musical subtlety."
The San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman
“Karen Clark Young, the Mary of the Bloomington Passion, was again outstanding in her fearless affecting account if the Virgin’s planctus.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
“The Three Marys — Karen Clark Young, Laurie Monahan, and Miss Thornton--
seem the most beautiful soprano sound, strong, pure, and passionate, that I have heard in a long time.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
“Karen (Clark) Young, as Mary, gave beautifully judged and admirably sung performances.”
The New Yorker, Andrew Porter
Accolades for Vajra Voices
Vajra Voices,
Photography by Norbert Brein-K