Karen is one of the top dulcimer players on the circuit today, in demand at festivals nationwide. She has performed and taught at the Augusta Heritage Center Spring Dulcimer Week, Western Carolina Dulcimer Week, Ozark Folk Center Dulcimer Jamboree, Southwest Dulcimer Festival, and many more. She is featured on the CD Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer, Vol. 2, and in the Dulcimer 2000 book/CD anthology from Mel Bay Publications.

Karen began playing dulcimer in 1979, one year after starting the autoharp. She was influenced by the recently released Pacific Rim Dulcimer Project recording, which featured Neal Hellman, Force & d'Ossche, and Bonnie Carol. She also began developing her own songs and arrangements for the dulcimer. While living in Lawrence, Kansas, Karen took first place in the Kansas State Dulcimer Championships in 1984 and 1985, and was a finalist at the 1985 National Dulcimer Contest in Winfield.

For a few years, Karen focused primarily on the autoharp (winning Winfield in 1986), and guitar and mandolin. When she moved to Minneapolis in 1989, she began to concentrate on the dulcimer again. Her latest recording, Still Point, showcases the dulcimer and bass dulcimer in a wide range of settings. According to Dulcimer Players News, "Still Point definitely confirms Karen's vast array of ear-opening instrumental licks....she plays them all with both passion and precision." Besides touring nationally, she teaches private lessons in the Twin Cities, and conducts workshops with school children making simple one-string dulcimers.