Karen Parks is a Fulbright Scholar, Olivier Award nominee, and Billboard chart-topper. She serves as master teacher and vocal consultant for stage, (Broadway and opera), film, and TV. She also served as classical panelist for YoungArts for more than ten years, co-creator for the Presidential Scholars’ Showcase at the Kennedy Center, and continues to recruit outstanding talent in all disciplines for the prestigious program. Parks has performed in twelve languages and fourteen countries at major concert halls, cathedrals, and opera houses, worldwide. Her career highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, London’s Old Vic Theatre, the renowned APOLLO Theater in New York City, the San Francisco Opera, Savonlinna Opera, London, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Budapest, and Göteborg Symphonies, UNICEF’s World Symphony, and the Boston Pops.
As a Fulbright scholar, Parks was awarded exclusive study with the maestro at La Scala Opera in Milan, Italy, and was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performances of Cindy Lou in Carmen Jones at London’s Old Vic Theatre. Her interpretation of the role was captured and released on London’s original cast recording (EMI) at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Parks’ numerous solo and collaborative recordings include Nobody Knows: Songs by Harry T. Burleigh, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Charts (classical); Nocturne, the first English language album of Finnish classical poetry; the world premiere of Perfect Harmony (recorded, televised, and aired internationally), Song of America, a historical compilation album of songs by renowned American artists. Opus 13 for String Quartet and Soprano; Mercy for soprano, classical guitar, cello, viola, and percussion; and Rosa Parks: Pure Love, an oratorio using multimedia, portraying ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice by progressive transformative artist and renowned composer, Wadada Leo Smith. Her most recent holiday releases include a featured duet, O Holy Night, with Carla A. Harris on her CD titled, O This Is Christmas, and single, The Babe of Bethlehem, composed exclusively for Parks by W. Mark Howell. Both were introduced at the APOLLO and performed at Carnegie Hall with the single’s worldwide release on all digital streaming platforms.
In addition to numerous concert and operatic performances, Parks was commissioned by Dame Janet Baker to perform with the London Symphony at Barbican Hall, she toured as Micaela in Carmen with San Francisco Opera’s touring company, and she sang the role of Nedda in Pagliacci for three seasons at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Parks was recently invited as the only special guest to perform solo and duets with renowned Korean Musical Theatre artist KAI on the LA performance of his Into The World Tour.
Parks earned undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees with full academic and merit scholarships at Furman University (BM, awarded Most Distinguished Alumni), the University of Texas at Austin (MM, inducted into Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society), and the University of California at Santa Barbara (MA/DMA, double major in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy). Parks’ expertise is in classical music; however, she is equally proficient in her specialty of Musical Theatre (with emphasis on contemporary repertoire) and in African American Art Songs and Spirituals.
Having served on the faculty of NYU/Tisch School of Dramatic Arts, New Studio on Broadway, Parks is currently Associate Professor of Practice in Vocal Arts and Opera at the University of Southern California (awarded the Dean’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Service) and CEO and Director of Stagebound, Inc.