About Karen
Truly a Renaissance woman whose expansive array of disciplines, talents and modes of creative expression has impacted thousands of lives, Dr. Karen Olson is a multiple award winning, Billboard chart topping violist and composer, vibrational sound healer, Reiki Master, bestselling author, podcast host, international speaker and bio-energetic practitioner. No matter where she is applying her vast multitude of gifts on any given day, her mission is the same – using music as medicine to calm people’s minds, remove their fears and provide light for their varied journeys.
In 2018, Karen found a fascinating way to merge her dynamic work as a sound healer with her successful career as a New Age/Classical Crossover artist, releasing her book Soundpath: Using the Power of Sound and Silence for Health, Harmony and Happiness in conjunction with her sixth album Songpath.
Perfectly capturing the scope of her therapy work over the years with hundreds of grateful clients, Karen reveals how to harness the energetic power of frequencies to reduce fear, guilt, shame and anger while boosting love, gratitude, serenity and joy. Among the topics she covers are: Enriching Relationships, Healing Emotional Wounds, Resolving Physical Complaints, Reducing Stress, Generating More Joy and Growing Closer to God. An aural companion to the book, Songpath presented a unique method for healing. Seven of its nine tracks focus on a step from her 7-step method: Surrender, Trust, Reflect, Inspiration, New Ways, Gratitude and Serenity.
Testament to her success as a recording artist in multiple genres, Karen has hit the Top Ten on a total of four Billboard charts, including New Age (#5), Classical Crossover (#8), Classical (#9) and Heatseeker (#6). Fourteen years after her 2010 album Timeless Being reached #1 on the ZMR chart, her 2024 album Divine Echoes was an immediate hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart. The violist and composer launched her recording career with the critically acclaimed Seasons of the Soul (2007), which was produced by Grammy winning cellist and New Age artist David Darling.
Karen’s accolades over the years include a ZMR Award for Best Neo-Classical Album (A Hero’s Journey, a collaboration with Crispin Barrymore), a 2021 Global Music Award (Silver Medal) for Best Female Vocalist, and a Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) nomination in the Serenity New Age/Ambient category in 2021. She created her albums Convergence (2015) and Elemental Journey (2012) from improvisations with cellist Michael Fitzpatric and keyboardist Adam Schiff.
A masterful recording that ties the clinical aspects of her work together with the expansive world of her musical creativity, Divine Echoes is a transcendent journey through the ethereal beauty of nature and spirituality. It’s a realm where sunbeams from heaven illuminate the soul, mystical birdsong and the gentle whispers of wind stir memories of peace and freedom, rain brings renewal, and the harmonious voices of an angelic choir weave together the serenity and joy of The Peace Prayer into a symphony of divine resonance and support. It is a continuously glorious manifestation of Karen’ts core personal wisdom and understanding about our connection to the divine.
A longtime violist with the New York Pops who has made many appearances at Carnegie Hall, Karen throughout her career has shared the stage with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to Liza Minelli, Jason Mraz, Roger Daltrey and Sarah McLachlan. Her recent music video featuring Deepak Chopra and Michel Pascal is used to help give prisoners a sense of peace and is part of a program at the United Nations. Another video with Dr. Karen Olson was featured in the United Nation’s BKInd BWell Challenge, see below.
Karen has a Bachelor’s degree from The Julliard School, Master’s Degrees from Julliard and Yale University, and a PhD from NYU. Her well-known book for viola published by ECS Shirmer is an established part of the viola repertoire.
“Karen’s music is ethereal and expressive beyond words. Emanating from deep within her soul, unique heartfelt interpretations and exquisitely refined musicianship synergize and offer an unparalleled, unforgettable, incredibly moving musical experience.”
Barry Bittman, MD CEO Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute
