Originally from Beaver, Pennsylvania, pianist Karen Roethlisberger Verm has recently been appointed as Artist Teacher of Opera Studies at Rice University.
Prior to her position at Rice, Ms. Roethlisberger Verm was on faculty of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, where she served as Vocal Coach and Opera Coordinator, as well as the Chamber Music Coordinator. For the past two summers, she has been on music staff for the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Festival.
A frequent recitalist, Ms. Roethlisberger Verm has performed on Dallas Art Museum’s Music and Masterpieces series (with her husband and Rice alum, baritone Craig Verm), Pittsburgh Song Collaborative, Music in a Great Space series, Pittsburgh Concert Society series, and the Vocal Arts Resource Network Artsong Competition series. Ms. Roethlisberger Verm also regularly appeared with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and collaborated with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Pittsburgh Opera. In addition, she has performed as part of the Lyrique-en-mer Festival (Belle-Ile, France), Robert Page Festival Singers (Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, Austria concert tour), Duquesne University, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Rocky Ridge Music Center, among others.
Ms. Verm is a graduate of Syracuse University (BM, Piano Performance) and University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (MM, Piano Performance; MM, Vocal Accompanying; and Artist Diploma, Opera Coaching).