Born Karen Molner on July 8 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA Graduated Valedictorian from Mill Road Junior H.S., Northfield, New Jersey Graduated Valedictorian from Mainland Regional H.S., Linwood, New Jersey Earned B.A. magna cum laude, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, in 3 years Karen was a soloist in her community church even before she began school. By junior high she had won a state competition. Her impressive range (which later reached 3 octaves) allowed her to sing in every school choir (including some male choruses as a tenor), but she was always featured as a soloist. By college her academic prowess led her toward majors in English literature and modern European history. But her love of performing took her to London, where she completed her university education in a theatre arts program and was privileged to benefit from the guidance of many distinguished British artists, including Dame Judi Dench. In London she appeared as an actress and soloist in a medieval miracle play cycle directed by the eminent E. Martin Browne, who was responsible for bringing T.S. Eliot to the stage. She continued singing in various British choral groups while training as a reporter for Lord Thomson's The TIMES (London) and Regional Newspapers group and pursuing her journalism career. She lived, worked, and explored Europe for 7 years, but her desire to perform brought her back to the United States, where she earned starring roles in innumerable regional and touring music theatre productions. In Los Angeles she auditioned for the national music theatre program offered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and was chosen to study with some of the original master musicians of the genre. At this time she toured Southern California with a program of '30s and '40s music by Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, and the Gershwins. Soon she was singing on Southern California television and appearing in her own musical specials. But she wished for new material and, although several composers promised to write songs for her, no one could produce the beautiful melodies and lyrics she envisioned. And "Someone Loves" was born. . . .

Biography