Karen Su

1st prize winner of the Lipizer International Violin Competition, violinist Karen Su (1998) made her international debut as the featured soloist in the Gergiev Festival.
Currently an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the mentorship of Augustin Dumay, Karen was born in Los Angeles (USA) into a musical family, with both her father and older sister being violinists. She began studying the violin at age 4 with her father Elmer Su, and later simultaneously with Igor and Vesna Gruppman.

Critically acclaimed to embody “confidence and drive…warmth and intensity” (The Strad) as a performer, Karen is known for her rich playing and moving musicality.

Having appeared as a soloist with orchestras in North America, Europe, and Asia, highlights of previous and upcoming solo engagements include the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, Boca de Rio Philharmonic, Sinfonia Rotterdam, Kiev Radio Symphony Orchestra, Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra, among others..

Karen has been named prize winner of multiple international competitions, such as Lipizer, Princess Astrid, and Rubinstein International Violin Competitions.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Hartman Award, Prins Bernhard Award, Belgian American Educational Foundation Award, and was named as a candidate for the Borletti Buitoni Trust Award.

In addition to solo playing, Karen is an active and passionate chamber musician and works with musicians such as Augustin Dumay, Gary Hoffman, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, and Lorenzo Gatto.

Karen currently plays on a 1747 Nicolo Gagliano from an anonymous donor