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Welcome! My name is Karen Marrolli and I write all the music and take most of the photos on this website. I currently make my home in Santa Fe in the “Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico. For more information, read on!

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Karen Marrolli is the Director of Choral Ministries at the United Church of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is the current Musical Director of the Zia Singers, the Cantu Spiritus Chamber Choir, and the Santa Fe Men’s Camerata. She has previously served as Guest Conductor of Coro de Camara (the chamber chorus of Santa Fe and Los Alamos, NM), the Music Director of Ingleside Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA and the Assistant Conductor of the St. Gregory Choir at Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. Marrolli holds the DMA degree in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University (2010), where she studied Choral Conducting with Dr. Kenneth Fulton. She earned her BM in Music Theory and Composition (1997) and her MM in Choral Conducting and Sacred Music (2000) from Westminster Choir College before relocating to Charleston, SC, where she lived for seven years prior to pursuing doctoral studies. While in Charleston, she founded Lux Aeterna, a chamber choir who presented candlelight concerts in honor of such events as World AIDS Day, the September 11th attacks, and Child Abuse Awareness Month. These concerts always consisted of readings, often written by survivors of traumatic events, interspersed with choral music. The concerts progressed from a sense of darkness to light and were meant to give hope to those who were in a process of healing.

Marrolli’s choral works are published independently as well as through Morningstar and Colla Voce. In June of 2010, her arrangement of “Patapan” was recorded for commercial release by the Taylor Festival Choir and featured such Celtic Music greats as John Doyle and Liz Carroll.

NEWS! NEWS!

• For after you’ve burned Zozobra and eaten your Fry Bread…

• The album Stealing Fire is now available for download or CD purchase. Check it out here. You can read about the album in the blog post “The Art of Stealing Fire.”

• On Sunday, July 15, Karen made her “singer-songwriter” debut at Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse during Laurianne Fiorentino’s series “Collected Words and Music.” Fiorentino headlines the series and features a guest musician and writer each week. Karen and Laurianne will perform together at 7:30 pm on Friday, July 20 at Java Joe’s on Rodeo Road. Tickets are $10.

• Karen conducted her first performance with the Santa Fe Men’s Camerata on July 4, 2012 at the annual “Pancakes on the Plaza” event at the Santa Fe Bandstand. It was a great success! Stay tuned for upcoming performances of Santa Fe’s premier Men’s Chorus during Fiesta Weekend (September 8th and 9th) at the Loretto Chapel in downtown Santa Fe.

• WHERE THERE’S FIRE… THE GIRLS ARE SMOKIN’: Karen will appear with singer-songwriter Laurianne Fiorentino on Sunday, July 15 between 3 and 5 pm at Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse in downtown Santa Fe as a part of the “Collected Words and Music” series, headlined and coordinated by Fiorentino. Each week features a guest writer and a guest musician. On Friday, July 20 at 7:30 pm, Karen and Laurianne present “Where There’s Fire…” They’ll burn up the stage at Java Joe’s in a scorching double bill.

            

• SANTA FE MEN’S CAMERATA LIKES GIRL DIRECTOR, LETS HER CONDUCT THEM IN PUBLIC: Karen will lead the Santa Fe Men’s Camerata at “Pancakes on the Plaza” on the Santa Fe Bandstand, July 4, 2012. It will be her first appearance with the choir!

• “BEING ALIVE- LIFE GOES BETTER WITH CHOCOLATE:” On May 13, 2012, Karen led the Zia Singers in their annual Dessert Concert, “Being Alive.” Hear her discuss the program in this  interview with KUNM’s Spencer Beckwith here.