Karen Bentley Pollick

Violin • Concertmaster

While residing in Vilnius, violinist Karen Bentley Pollick performed Resonances from Vilna with pianist Jascha Nemtsov and premiered David A. Jaffe’s violin concerto How Did It Get So Late So Soon? with the Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Karen’s debut recording for Toccata Classics presents Hermann Graedener’s two violin concertos with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

She’s performed with the Paul Dresher ElectroAcoustic Band since 1999. Her multimedia project Solo Violin and Alternating Currents received a grant from the NEA and evolved into Violin, Viola & Video Virtuosity. Karen received a Seed Money Grant for Disseminated Performances from New York Women Composers.

Karen’s recent recordings garnered top recognition in the Global Music Awards: Graedener Violin Concertos, Chamber Music of Ivan Sokolov, and Orchestral Music of Ole Saxe, featuring the premiere recording of his violin concerto My Manchu Princess & Dance Suite. Karen is a founding member of Virtuosos de Cámara, which presents chamber music concerts in Puerto Vallarta and Nayarit. Recent concerts include the premieres of Pietà by Jerry Mader and ROMANTARCTICA by Henning Kraggerud, plus live video of MAQA VIOLIN by Yitzhak Yedid.

In September 2022, Karen presented Homage to Ukraine with music by Ukrainian composers Ludmila Yurina and Virko Baley at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. Her recent release Music for Emily Dickinson presents Ten Songs Without Words by Virko Baley.

A native of Palo Alto, California, she studied with Camilla Wicks in San Francisco, and joined the class of Josef Gingold at Indiana University, where she earned both a B.M. and an M.M. degree with a cognate field in Choral Conducting.

Karen joined Joy Street in 2006.

Things that bring Karen joy: “Hiking in the forest in the early morning or on the beach at sunset; TaiChi; Mah Jongg; playing piano; hanging out with my hound dog.”

Favorite dessert: Key Lime Pie.

Something Karen is proud of: Her multimedia piece Paean to St. Francis.

Something surprising about Karen: She speaks eight languages. Karen says: “I love to explore new cities as a pedestrian and interact with the locals in their language.”

Something Karen loves about playing with Joy Street: “I love being on the bandstand with my crackerjack colleagues. Hearing their jazz and swing solos in the groove puts me in the mood to play with verve and passion. Seeing the dancers in masquerade costumes and masks swirling around the Century Ballroom elevates our music-making in a synergistic loop of inspiration on a special evening for all present.”