Karen Knowles' extensive and successful career as a performer, producer and director of her own entertainment company now spans over twenty-five years.

Her performance career began with the award winning television program Young Talent Time where she quickly achieved national recognition and acclaim for her weekly appearances and regular request segments. She soon caught the eye and ear of Ron Tudor, a great pioneer in the Australian record industry, who signed her to his Fable label in 1980.

Success was swift - Karen soon made history by becoming the first Australian schoolgirl to receive a Gold record with her first Top Ten hit single Why Won’t You Explain. The following album You are the Reason reached Platinum status, making her the highest selling female artist in Australia for two consecutive years.

After the release of her second record Loves Us All which achieved gold status, the Top 30 single You Don’t Know Love and The Third Time album, in 1984 Karen left the Fable stable to spend a period in London writing new material and honing her talents.

Returning to Australia in 1988 to star in the hit stage musical Big River during its popular eighteen month national tour, she received a nomination for a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance as Southern belle Mary Jane Wilks.

While still maintaining her solo career, in 1990 Karen joined The Seekers touring nationally and internationally. The following year, joined by the group's main song writer Bruce Woodley and the National Boys Choir she recorded the much loved song I Am Australian which she has since performed at various events including the Prime Minister’s Dinner for Melbourne’s Olympic Bid and later with Leah Purcell at the National Reconciliation Convention in Melbourne in 1997.

The next two years saw her recording and producing her fourth album A Night of Carols, also featuring the Australian Girls Choir, and travelling to the U.S. for the recording of Moonglow, her fifth album and first world-wide release, produced by acclaimed audio engineer and renowned audio manufacturer David Manley on all-valve, high-end equipment with the support of many Los Angeles’ notable musicians.

During 1997 Karen wrote and performed a new musical composition at the Aboriginal Reconciliation Convention, highlight of the important national campaign aimed at uniting Australia's white and indigenous communities. She also promoted Reconciliation Day throughout her appearances on community service announcements and television programmes such as McFeast. The next year, together with former Australian Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser and Gough Whitlam, Wimbledon tennis legend Evonne Cawley, business icon Dick Smith and other eminent Australians, Karen was appointed as one of the Inaugural Ambassadors for Reconciliation by the Reconciliation Council. During the same year, she was also nominated for an Australian Humanitarian Award for her Services to the Arts.

In 1999 Karen acted as joint executive producer for the program Christmas In Concert with Karen Knowles broadcast throughout Queensland on the Seven Network with top ratings. Segments have since been sold and aired on the Disney Channel with the full program now available on video. In 2000 Karen recorded and released By Request which features many of the most requested songs at her live performances.

Parallel to her recording career, Karen has always maintained an extensive national and international live schedule with performances at the Australian Olympic Committee Dinner, Australian Tourism Awards, ABM Top 500 Business People of the Year Awards, Tokyo's Australian Society Ball, Expo `90 Osaka, corporate conventions for Mercedes Benz, UTAG and AMP, guest appearances with Australia’s leading Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and solo concerts at all major Arts Centres. In 2002 she toured all major Arts Centres in Queensland, performed in cabaret at Capers and Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne and in concert at various venues and appeared at many special events and Christmas concerts throughout the country. In 2003 she continued with a similar live performance schedule and made a guest appearance as an actor playing the role of Dr Lucinda Porter on ABC’s popular drama series “MDA”. Towards the end of 2003 Karen also released her most recent CD “On A Clear Day” which has been very well received.

As a performer and interviewee she has appeared consistently on all leading television programs on all national television networks, acted as a presenter for Hume Building Society's commercials and as a regular judge on Network Ten’s popular series “New Faces”.

In September 2004 after many years of requests she opened her own singing school, “The Karen Knowles Singing School” which has been very successful. The School’s focus is on quality vocal training and performance and is now open in five centres in Melbourne. Karen is pleased to oversee the philosophy, engagement of other teachers and content of the school and is pleased to pass on what she has learned about singing and performance over the years.

In 2005 Karen continued with her live performance schedule at corporate events and arts centres nationally. She appeared with the award winning acapella group “Coco’s Lunch” for “An Evening Amongst the Stars”, the signature event for the Shepparton Festival in March 2005, appeared at Capers Melbourne in May 2005, appeared with Julie Anthony, Rhonda Burchmore, Wendy Mathews amongst others in the “Divine Divas” performance for IGA on the Gold Coast in July 2005. 2006 was also a very busy year with performances at various Arts Centres and live performance venues nationally (Traralgon; Albury; Shepparton, Kyneton); various “Christmas in July” events in July and already bookings are in for Carols By Candlelight events for later this year. In mid 2006 Karen appeared as one of the professional singers on Channel Seven's high rating television program "Ït Takes Two" which was Seven's most successful program launch for the year. In late 2007, Karen was asked to join the ARIA Award winning Choir of Hard Knocks as a special guest vocalist on their new album "Songs of Hope & Inspiration" and Karen joined the Choir as a special guest artist at their concert at the Vodaphone Arena in Melbourne in early December 2007. Karen continued to tour for performance events throughout December 2008 and appeared with her usual accompanist David Cameron and Carneval Strings at the Burnie Shines Festival in Tasmania. Karen really enjoyed the experience of working with a small string ensemble and performed with another internationally renowned baroque string ensemble, Latitude 37 in their first performances together in November 2009 in Melbourne.

In early 2010 Karen collaborated with composer and sound artist Darrin Verhagen creating a vocal soundscape for the Melbourne Theatre Production Company of “Madagascar”. Karen will be working on further projects with Darrin in 2010 and 2011. Karen has also recently collaborated with Uncle Bob Randall, a traditional elder of Central Australia and one of the founders of Australian indigenous music, on his new yet to be released studio recording. Karen also continues with performances at arts centres and carols events later in 2010. See the upcoming performances page for Karen’s future live performances.

PERFORMANCES:

Following is a selection of some of Karen's previous live performances :

• Melbourne Concert Hall with the Orchestra of the Stars

• Warana Festival with the Queensland Pops Orchestra, Riverstage, Brisbane

• Melbourne Concert Hall with the National Boys Choir

• Adelaide Town Hall with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

• Melbourne Town Hall with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

• Brisbane Concert Hall with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra

• Robert Blackwood Hall with the Victorian Welsh Choir, Melbourne

• South Bank Parklands, Brisbane

• Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth

• Crown Casino, Melbourne (numerous)

• Jupiters Casino with Don Burrows, Gold Coast, Queensland

• Solo concerts at Performing Arts Centres Australia wide

• Australian Olympic Committee Dinner, Adelaide

• Prime Ministers' Dinner for Melbourne's Olympic Bid

• NBL Semi Final and Final Series, Tennis Centre, Melbourne

• Australian Tourism Awards, Canberra

• ABM Top 500 Business People of the Year Awards, Sydney

• Young President's Awards, Melbourne

• Queensland Fashion Awards, Brisbane

• Australian Chamber of Manufacturers Dinner, Melbourne

• Chinese Professional Businessman Association Function, Melbourne

• Australia Day Commitee Concert, Brisbane

• Australian Society Ball, Capitol Theatre, Tokyo, Japan

• Expo '90 Osaka, Japan with The Seekers

• Reconciliation Convention, Melbourne

• Papal Visit Concert, Brisbane

• WA Week Womens Forum, Kunnunnurra, Western Australia

• Capers Melbourne and Chapel Off Chapel Melbourne

Corporate Conventions

• UTAG National Conference, Melbourne

• Mercedes Benz E Class Launch, Brisbane

• Toyota Convention, Sydney

• Ford Convention, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne

• GMH Holden Convention, Adelaide

• Mobil Convention, Melbourne

• Castrol Oil Convention, Sydney

• Coca Cola Centenary Celebration Convention, Sydney

• IDA Amway Convention, Brisbane and Melbourne

• Colonial Mutual Convention, Gold Coast

• Commercial Union Convention, Sydney

• AMP National Convention, Adelaide

• Singapore Airlines Convention, Melbourne

• Foodland Convention, Perth

• Big Ben Foods Convention, Melbourne

• Nubrik Convention, Melbourne

Christmas Concerts

• Carols By Candlelight, Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

• Lord Mayors Carols By Candlelight, Riverstage, Brisbane (numerous)

• Carols In The Domain, Sydney

• Carols By Candlelight, Elder Park, Adelaide

• Seaworld Carols By Candlelight, Gold Coast

• Forest Lake Carols By Candlelight, Brisbane (numerous)

• Carols By Candlelight, Albury (numerous)

• Carols By Candlelight, Fremantle, Western Australia

Special Events

• Mothers Day Concert, Melbourne Concert Hall

• Suncorp Mothers Day Concert, Brisbane

• World Vision Family Day Concert

• Anti-Cancer Council Concert, Melbourne

• Shrine Memorial Concert, Melbourne

• Olympic Committee Dinner, Adelaide

AWARDS & CREDITS

Awards and Credits Awards / Nominations

• Australian Humanitarian Awards Nomination in the Arts and Entertainment Category for Services to the Arts

• Green Room Awards Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for "Big River"

• TV Week/Countdown Rock Awards Nomination for Best New Talent

• B&T Record Award (predecessor to the ARIAs) for Best New Artist Album

• B&T Record Award for Best Pop Single

• US Ampex Golden Reel Award for "You Are The Reason"

• US Ampex Golden Reel Award for "Loves Us All"

Patron / Ambassador

• Australian Girls Choir National Patron

• Breaking the Cycle National Patron

• Inaugural Ambassador for Reconciliation