The Musicians
Karen Pommerich (Violin)
Member of the JSO: Since 1991
Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Education: Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also holds a Master of Music degree from Florida State University where she studied the violin with Eliot Chapo and the viola with Pamela Ryan.
Why the violin? “My teacher insisted that I start violin lessons.”
Performance experience: Karen plays at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado during the summer months. Previous festivals include the Bach Aria Festival in Stonybrook, N.Y. and the National Repertory Orchestra in Keystone, Colorado. She has also played in the Ohio Blossom Music Festival, AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, Chautauqua Music Festival in New York State, and the Congress of Strings in Dallas. Karen has been a soloist with the JSO on two occasions: Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante in 1993 and Mozart’s Adagio and Rondo in 1998.
Teaching and healing: Karen teaches private lessons and is active in the Body and Soul program, which delivers live music in health care settings.
Other Instruments Played: Viola and piano
Family: Karen is married to trombonist Michael Hosford.
Yoga and the outdoors: Karen always sets aside time for yoga. She also likes to travel and hike in the mountains.
Social