Karen Nelson

Karen Nelson is the host and producer of PRE's original programs,  Sunday Best and Late Night Jazz. She also hosts weekend classical music programs.  She joined the staff of Public Radio East in June of 2001 after hearing an announcement for openings for part-time classical music announcers.  "I always wondered how people got those jobs," she says.  She made a phone call to the station, and after a brief conversation was invited to come in and begin training.  With an extensive musical background, computer experience and always ready to learn something new, it was a comfortable fit -- although not without the expected "learning curve" misadventures.  Karen says it is not so very different from teaching music, and although she is still not entirely sure how radio works, it's an interesting and fun job.   Karen's musical education began with piano lessons at the age of 5.  She obtained a Bachelor of Music degree in music education as a percussion major from UMass/Amherst.  She has done graduate work at UMass/Lowell and Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts.  Among her teachers have been pianists Estela K. Olevsky, Leon Tumarkin, and composer Vaclav Nelhybel.   Upon graduating from college, Karen spent several years teaching instrumental and choral music to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.  She also spent several years performing professionally and conducting with different orchestras, choruses, and wind ensembles in the Boston area.  She made her professional debut as a percussionist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Springfield, Massachusetts in a concert conducted by Arthur Fiedler.  She has performed with such artists as Joseph Silverstein, Christopher O'Reilly, and Patricia McCarty.   When jobs for music teachers became virtually non-existent in New England, Karen, her teenage son, and their two cats moved to North Carolina, where Karen continued teaching music to students in all grades, and taught theory and music appreciation at the community college level.  She has served as pianist and choir director at Cherry Point United Methodist Church since 2000.  She met retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant Dennis Nelson in 1999 (there's another story there), and they were married at sea in February of 2001.  They now live in New Bern and collectively have 3 children ranging in age from 17 to 24, two dogs, a cat, and a horse. She and Dennis enjoy sailing their 25 foot Cape Dory whenever they have the chance and will begin studying for their Coast Guard captain's licenses shortly.  Although North Carolina has been good to her, Karen's roots are in New England, and she and her husband plan to return there eventually, to a small farm with room for all their critters ( they recently became certified beekeepers) that's also close enough to the water to go sailing often.