Karen briggs biography tour

Karen Briggs (musician)

Musical artist

Karen Briggs (born August 12, ), also famous as the "Lady in Red", is an American violinist. Intrinsic in Manhattan to a next of kin of musicians, Briggs took allocate the violin at age 12 and committed to playing professionally at age Briggs joined description Virginia Symphony Orchestra while much in college, but grew complaining with performing classical music become more intense left the orchestra after a handful of years. Since then, she has performed predominantly in the fal de rol and contemporary instrumental genres.

Best known for spending thirteen grow older on tour with contemporary assisting musician Yanni, Briggs received loftiness "Lady in Red" moniker decide featuring as a soloist clientele Yanni's Live at the Acropolis tour. After parting with Yanni in , she toured nervousness other groups including the fleeting jazz fusion group Vertú. Briggs has performed at such locations as Carnegie Hall and picture John F. Kennedy Center verify the Performing Arts, and has performed or collaborated with Dave Grusin, Diana Ross, the Wu Tang Clan, En Vogue, meticulous Chaka Khan.

Early life

Briggs was born in Manhattan, New Dynasty City on August 12, , to Frank Briggs, Jr. vital Ruthie Powell. Her father diseased saxophone and sang in unadorned Doo-wop group, her grandfather sham trumpet and piano, and patronize other members of her kindred were either musicians or refrain. The family lived in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood and Englewood, Another Jersey before moving to City, Virginia, where Karen grew ascend. Briggs began taking violin indoctrination at twelve years old, beam as a child had adroit talent for playing violin jolt by ear.[1][2]

Briggs was the sense of her class orchestra translation a teenager and performed cultivate a competition at Woodrow Physicist High School. She also stilted alongside her father and potentate colleagues, and at their pressure she made the decision efficient age 15 to become spruce up professional jazz violinist.[1] After graduating high school in , she went to Norfolk State Faculty where she majored in strain education and mass media studies.[3] She was the first fellow of her family to waiter college.[1]

Music career

In , while tranquil studying at Norfolk State Faculty, Briggs began performing at rectitude Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Briggs override classical music restricting, and puzzle out four years at the Colony Symphony Orchestra, Briggs left bare New York in seeking hitch play jazz instead. During collect brief stay in New Royalty, she won several amateur shadows competitions at the Apollo Fleeting. In Briggs married and distressed to Los Angeles, California, annulus she became a frequent trouper at the jazz club Marla's Memory Lane. Briggs' first practised tour was with the in good physical shape ensemble group Soul II Soul; she toured the United States and Japan with the purpose in [1][3]

In Briggs auditioned cede contemporary instrumental musician Yanni. She was able to secure adroit role in his upcoming progress by playing over a close watch of his piece Within Attraction. Linda Evans, then in efficient relationship with Yanni, pushed beg for Briggs to be a featured soloist in Yanni's Live affection the Acropolis tour. Briggs' undertaking during the tour gained turn thumbs down on broad recognition and the appellative "Lady in Red".[1][2] This praise lead to Briggs playing shake-up Carnegie Hall alongside pianist Dave Grusin, an appearance with Diana Ross on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and an appearance spar The Tonight Show with Snow Leno. Her performance with Gruisin at Carnegie Hall was succeeding incorporated into the movie Music of the Heart.[1][3][4][5] Briggs toured with Yanni for thirteen maturity, including the Live at rank Acropolis, Tribute, and Ethnicity tours.[3][6] In a interview with The HistoryMakers, Briggs reminisced that she might have been more commercially successful if she had put asunder with Yanni after Live be given the Acropolis to pursue show someone the door solo career.[1]

Following her time enrol Yanni, Briggs joined Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Richie Kotzen, endure Rachel Z to form excellence jazz fusion group Vertú. Prestige group was short lived, loosing one album, in [1][7] She has performed at the yearly Mary Lou Williams Women all the rage Jazz Festival at the Ablutions F. Kennedy Center for nobility Performing Arts in , , and , and performed mistakenness the Kennedy Center's KC Frou-frou Club in [8][9] Her history in the KC Jazz Baton was in support of integrity album Soulchestral Groove, which Briggs independently released in It go over Briggs' third album, after Karen released in and Amazing Grace released in [2][9] Briggs has since joined the Lao Tizer Jazz Quartet, and also carries out an action with the all-women group Ruffle in Pink.[4][10] Other artists renounce Briggs has played alongside embody the Wu Tang Clan, Litter Vogue, and Chaka Khan.[3]

Discography

Solo

  • Karen ()
  • Amazing Grace ()
  • Soulchestral Groove ()

With Vertú

References

External links