Karen Gross
A versatile singer-songwriter, cabaret performer, vocalist and pianist, Karen Gross enchants audiences with her warmth, humor, captivating stage presence and gorgeous, expressive voice. Since launching her professional music career in 2001, Karen has been busy performing at prestigious music venues and festivals including Lincoln Center in NYC, Harrisburg’s Whitaker Center, Bethlehem’s Musikfest, and Philadelphia's premier music venues including Tin Angel, Cabaret at Odette’s, World Café Live, The Point and Grape Street. Karen also performs regularly at private parties, weddings, business and corporate functions. She entertains and educates students and community audiences at schools, universities and benefit events.
Karen is as comfortable performing solo with simply her voice and piano as she is fronting a full band. She performs a variety of styles including standards, show tunes, jazz, folk, pop and her own acclaimed original music. As a singer-songwriter, she has performed as a special guest for hit artists including Lisa Loeb, Lori McKenna, Jeffrey Gaines and John Eddie-- who personally tapped Karen as a special guest for several prestigious performances after he attended one of Karen's shows. Karen’s original music has earned radio airplay and she has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Style Magazine, the Jewish Exponent, the Princeton Packet, The Intelligencer, Bucks County Courier Times, the Bucks County Herald and the New Hope Gazette among other publications.
Karen's latest chapter-- as cabaret performer-- promises to be her most exciting yet. Karen’s original cabaret show “Sex & the Single Singer,” a delicious mix of music and comedy, has sold out the house at legendary venues including Cabaret at Odette’s and Philadelphia's Tin Angel. “Sex & the Single Singer” is a sassy, sexy musical journey of a woman’s experiences living on her own, looking for love and forging her own path in the world. In addition to showcasing her uniquely passionate voice, Karen employs her theatrical, comedic and playwriting talents in the self-penned show. Karen plays herself plus performs several hilarious characters.
Early on, Karen discovered music as a means of capturing the stories, emotions and fleeting moments of everyday life. While digging in her parents’ album collection, she found inspiration in songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Carole King. With a few years of piano lessons under her belt, the aspiring songstress began writing her own folk-pop songs at age 14 and was selected as a Finalist in the America's Best High School Songwriting Competition. During her senior year of high school, she recorded her first demo of original songs, entitled "Portrait," with local engineer Jim Cravero. She was voted “Most Likely to Win a Grammy,” along with American Idol runner up and classmate Justin Guarini. Karen released her second CD of original music, "Navigating," in 2003. Both self-produced and self-released, the CD earned airplay including Philadelphia's renowned WXPN 88.5. In 2007, Karen released a CD sampler from her cabaret show "Sex & the Single Singer," which includes her original song "Walk Alone" recorded by Grammy Award-winning engineer Glenn Barratt.
Karen continues to attract a loyal following, drawn to her warmth, humor, exquisite voice and captivating performances, which reflect her love of sharing music.
Visit Karen on MySpace at www.myspace.com/karengross and on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/karengrossmusic