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Karen Kinzie

Karen Kinzie

  • Member of the Colorado Symphony since 1993
  • Former member of The Florida Orchestra, The Florida Philharmonic, and The Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago

My mother is a keyboardist, and collected pianos, harpsichords, and organs while I was growing up. She played organ in a church and conducted the choir until the age of 84! My dad played the radio, and sang in my mom’s choir. Actually, one Christmas my mom gave my dad cello lessons for a year as a gift. After that year, he never bugged my sisters and I about practicing again!

Karen (Whitson) Kinzie has been a violinist with the Colorado Symphony since 1993. Originally from Chicago, she graduated from Indiana University where she studied with James Buswell and Nelli Schkolnikova. Prior to joining the Colorado Symphony, Karen played in The Florida Orchestra, The Florida Philharmonic, and The Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago.

Karen and her husband, Colorado Symphony’s Principal Percussionist John Kinzie, perform in the Grand Teton Music Festival every summer. In the spring, Karen plays concertmaster for mini musica, a Colorado Symphony outreach program for children. When she’s not teaching or playing in the orchestra, Karen enjoys curating programs for The Coda Ensemble, which is made up of a string quartet from the symphony plus her husband John on percussion.

Karen’s favorite composers are Brahms and Prokofiev, but she also listens to Coldplay and Sting. Her interests include camping, golfing, walking, and cooking. She maintains a private violin studio and runs her own business with Mary Kay, where she is a Senior Independent Beauty Consultant.

Learn more at Kinzieviolin.com.