Karen Loewi Jones, Orchestra Member, Viola – Full Article
March 2025
Karen has played in the orchestra since 2008. She sits on the first stand of the viola section and plays Principal Viola when the regular Principal is unable to perform. She moved to Atascadero from Orange County for her husband Ken’s job in 2006. About her move Karen said “I wasn’t playing much here, and I really missed it. At a chamber music party I was talking with Kathleen Lenski, who had also moved to the Central Coast. We had played together in the Long Beach Symphony when she was Concertmaster. She is an amazing musician, recording artist, and Grammy winner. She asked why I wasn’t playing with the San Luis Obispo Symphony. “I didn’t know much about the symphony, but the conductor Mike Nowak called me the very next day!”
“My first rehearsal with the orchestra was wonderful. Everyone was so warm and welcoming and friendly. It was such a great beginning. Playing in the orchestra opened up everything musical for me and grounded me to the community.” As well as playing with the Symphony, Karen was on the Board of Directors. “It was a great experience to see another side of the organization. I was so impressed with the time and dedication the board members put into the Symphony, all without compensation.”
Karen was born in New York City, and moved to the Bay Area when she was six. “My first instrument was violin which I started in fourth grade in school. I was a music major at UC Berkeley for two years. I transferred, as a junior, to the Oberlin Conservatory where I earned my Bachelor of Music in violin performance.”
”After returning to California I auditioned for the San Jose Symphony. I was twenty-one and clueless. I didn’t have audition training, and didn’t know about audition preparation. I went in cold and sight-read Strauss’ Don Juan. Ask any string player…you cannot sight-read Don Juan! It’s one of the hardest orchestral excerpts. It was a disaster!”
“I realized I wasn’t ready to audition for a major orchestra, so I decided to go back to school, and get my Secondary Teaching Credential in music. I moved to Reno, Nevada where they had fabulous in-school strings programs, and I taught elementary and high school string classes. While teaching I also played in the Reno Philharmonic and the Reno Chamber Orchestra.”
“During the summers, I had the opportunity to play violin in the house orchestra at Harrah’s Casino in Reno. It was fun to play for stars like Sammy Davis Jr., Ben Vereen, Loretta Lynn and Cher; I guess I was a bit star struck. We played mostly light music and it was not stressful. We did two shows a night, about six days a week with almost no rehearsal. Between shows we played Hearts, and after the second show we hung out in the bar. It was great fun.”
“One day, out of the blue, I was asked by a colleague if I would play viola for a chamber piece, live, on Reno Public Radio! I asked why me? I play the violin! He said I was listed in the union directory as playing both violin and viola, and thought, why not? The problem was, I didn’t even own a viola. The University of Nevada, Reno leant me one. That’s when I fell in love with the viola! I loved the mellower, rich sound and I loved playing the middle voice. It also gave me more opportunities to play.”
After teaching for five years, Karen auditioned for graduate school on both violin and viola. She was accepted at Cal State Long Beach on a full scholarship on viola, studied with violist James Dunham of the Cleveland Quartet, and received her Master’s degree. Karen began to take orchestral auditions on viola, and this time she was prepared! She played with the Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Symphony, and Long Beach Opera.
Then, her career took an unexpected turn. “My music history professor’s wife, who worked in I.T., heard I was looking for a job. She was looking for someone to teach microcomputer classes to faculty and staff at Long Beach State. Because I had teaching experience she felt I could handle the job. I told her I knew absolutely nothing about computers and she said ‘Oh you’ll learn,’ so I did. I taught myself DOS, Word Perfect, and Lotus, and began teaching workshops. I continued working in I.T. for twenty years while still performing.”
When Karen was asked about her early experiences of music she said “I think I heard music while in the womb. There was always music playing in the house. My parents would listen to chamber music every night after dinner. Every weekend Dad would listen to the Metropolitan Opera broadcast on the radio, at full volume! My father also loved Mahler’s 4th. That piece brings back wonderful memories of the two of us listening to that symphony. The first time I had the opportunity to perform it I cried while playing. My mother said she lived vicariously through my playing. My parents were so supportive of my musical ambitions. They came to every recital and concert during my high school years, and even attended concerts at Berkeley.”
As well as the SLO Symphony Karen plays in the Santa Maria Philharmonic, San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, and Orchestra Novo. She plays in the Mariposa Quartet with orchestra musicians Tanya Streder, Grace Seng, and orchestra alumnus Nancy Nagano. Karen is also involved in the Symphony’s Music Education program. She travels with a string quartet to various elementary schools where they perform. “I’ve really enjoyed playing for the kids. They always have such great questions, and they love it when we play movie music!”
With her husband Ken she co-parents their black Labrador rescue dog, Ryder. They also have their own little vineyard and Ken makes “Happy Dog” wine. Karen and Ken will celebrate their 30th anniversary this August with a river cruise in Europe. The photo of Karen was taken in their living room in front of the painting done by her uncle. “The painting was a gift to my parents before I was born. It hung in the living room of my childhood home, and now hangs in mine. It has been part of my life since day one and remains a strong connection to my parents.”