She was a passionate advocate for women in the orchestra, especially in the brass section; in our lessons she’d share stories of famous female trailblazers and make sure I had recordings by female artists to reference.

I grew up in Red Deer, Alberta, about 15 minutes from Red Deer College. They used to offer a 2 year music diploma (until 2018 when the program was cut), and in my junior year of high school a new professor arrived to lead the wind ensemble and brass department. That professor ended up being instrumental in my development as a musician. In addition to giving me private lessons, she let me play in the college wind ensemble and sit in on studio classes. She was a passionate advocate for women in the orchestra, especially in the brass section; in our lessons she’d share stories of famous female trailblazers and make sure I had recordings by female artists to reference.

I remember feeling a bit defeated in one lesson after I’d been struggling with the same lick for several weeks. She refused to let it go unchecked - we ended up spending most of the hour on the same 3 or 4 notes. “Work on the things you struggle with until they’re the things that you’re best at,” she said. “That’s how you get better”.

That toughness and discipline shone through in everything she did. Karen had studied alongside the trumpet professor at UBC and pushed me to apply for their performance program. It's because of her that I'll be finishing my degree in trumpet performance next spring, and it's because of her that I'm now working for the Vancouver Symphony. Life as a music student and new Vancouver-ite has been joyful, overwhelming, and at times pretty tough, but because of Karen I'll never stop working to get better.

- Erica Binder