A native Nebraskan, Karlene has spent a decade in New York City working as a vocalist, voice instructor, and teaching artist focused on voice science and vocal health.

While in Nebraska, Karlene earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She has trained in a variety of vocal styles including opera, art song, musical theatre, pop/rock, and folk music. Karlene has over 12 years of choral experience, including her time spent traveling nationally and internationally with the Nebraska Choral Arts Society’s Bel Canto ensemble under the direction of Z. Randall Stroope. With the choir, she toured in Japan, China, and across Europe, presenting traditional folk songs on the Great Wall of China and competing in the International Music Festival in Llangollen, Wales.

In New York, she performed throughout the city in different venues, including Feinstein’s/54 Below, Don't Tell Mama, The Duplex, The Broadway Comedy Club, and Room 53. Along with her performance experience, Karlene has worked in professional recording studios, including her work at Soundtrack Studios as a vocalist for Pulitzer Prize nominated composer, Stephen Melillo, in his grammy-nominated opera, Son of the Storm.

As a vocal instructor, Karlene has trained in vocal pedagogy foundations, voice over acting, improvisation, body work, and the Estill Voice Training method with New York Vocal Coach / Speech Pathologist, Tom Burke. Focusing on voice research and vocal acoustics, she attended the Voice Pedagogy Institute at Westminster Choir College meeting Ken Bozeman and Joan Lader and has taken Vocal Pedagogy Foundations / Private Voice Lessons with Broadway Vocal Coach, Amanda Flynn. 

As a singer-songwriter, herself, Karlene is thrilled to be a part of the creative community in Austin, Texas where she currently teaches voice at Eastside Music School, encouraging students to find the beauty and strength in their own voices.