Concise Biography

Karen Piranian Burgman has performed coast to coast in the US, Canada, and Europe as a solo and collaborative pianist.  She has performed in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, The National Gallery of Art, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Toronto Center for the Performing Arts where she premiered a work commissioned in her honor. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, she has won numerous prizes for her collaborative piano playing.  She has performed with renowned artists including Grammy-nominated artists, top opera stars, members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and faculty of top conservatories. She contributed original music and arrangements to the Broadway show, “Amazing Grace” and has performed on TV, and as a pianist/composer for a soundtrack.  Karen was awarded an Ovation prize onstage Verizon Hall for her impact as a music educator in 2015.  She has taught and mentored numerous students who have pursued careers in music, and she is certified in Dalcroze Eurhythmics.  Karen is the founding pianist of the Credo Trio, and performs in several chamber ensembles in the Philadelphia area.  She is a faculty member of the Credo Chamber Music Festival held in Oberlin, OH.  She helped to found the Cairn Community Arts Academy, and she is the founding artist director for Sola Gratia Musicians.  As a composer, Karen was featured alongside 9 other female composers of various ages and renown for her choral piece “Because I am a Woman,” premiered in Boston in 2016.  Her solo piano recordings of improvisations are on her own label, LifeSpring Music.  The esteemed composer, Morten Lauridsen, has dedicated his beloved piece “La Rose Complete” to her. Karen and her husband Michael have three young, musical daughters.