Birch Blundell

Karen Birch Blundell is a dynamic performer and teaching artist based in New York City. She is English Horn with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Associate Oboe/English Horn of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, Associate Principal Oboe/English Horn of the Eastern Festival of Music, and is a member of the Double Entendre Music Ensemble.

She has performed with prominent ensembles across the Northeast, including the American Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Norwalk Symphony, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the West Point Band.

Previously, Karen held the position of Second Oboe/English Horn with the Sarasota Orchestra. While in Florida, she frequently performed with regional ensembles including the Florida Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic, and Naples Philharmonic. Her guest appearances include concerts with the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet Orchestra, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She has toured the U.S. with the New Sousa Band and shared the stage with musical legends including Béla Fleck, Idina Menzel, Bernadette Peters, Mannheim Steamroller, and The Who.

As a teaching artist, Karen has contributed to community engagement programs for the Sarasota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, and Young Audiences, and has presented seminars at Amherst College, The Hartt School, the International Double Reed Society, Knight Foundation, and Lucarelli Oboe Camp. In addition to her musical performances, Karen creates scripts for concerts that introduce listeners to classical music in an engaging and sensory-friendly way. She is the Director of Community Engagement for the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, where she is a recipient of New World Symphony’s prestigious Blue Grant for her work on WHCO’s Storytime with the Symphony concert series.

Karen holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Hartt School of Music and completed an oboe Fellowship at the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. She performs on Howarth XL instruments and is a Howarth of London Artist.