Karen K. Hansen is a musician, musicologist, writer and photographer. She earned her master’s degree in arts administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she had the honor of performing in a master class with renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. She also studied music and theater in London.

Karen is the principal clarinetist of the Bloomington Symphony and Mississippi Valley Orchestras, as well as a clarinetist in the Dolce Wind Quintet and Rochester Symphony Orchestra. In addition to playing numerous premieres, she has performed in Merce Cunningham’s Ocean and The Moody Blues backing orchestra. And for more than a decade, she has taught clarinet to learners of all ages.