Brisbane-based Colombian classical guitarist and composer, Karen Arango will strum her way into your heart when she performs as part of the BEMAC Unplugged series in late April.
Karen exists at the crossroads of art and academia. A devout classical guitarist currently studying a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at Griffith University, Karen has transitioned from student to master with her own original compositions based on popular Latin American repertoire and folklore."My training has been classical guitarist since I was ten years old, so almost all my life," Karen says. "I started with classical guitar even before I could play chords. That was my very beginning: reading music scores and playing concerts as a kid."
Karen studied classical guitar in her native Colombia, completing a bachelor's degree in guitar from the University of Antioquia.
She expanded her musical education with a master's degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Alicante in Spain and a masters in 20th Century Latin American Music Performance from the National University of Cuyo in Argentina. "Then I started to sing, and I became interested in composing songs," she explains.
"It was really weird, because it was the top of my learning experience as a classical guitarist, but I became interested in singing and performing Colombian Latin American music, so it was an interesting transition."
Karen's original music fuses traditional Latin American music with a contemporary sensibility informed by jazz and pop. She performs on both a nylon string classical guitar and an Epiphone electric, which has allowed her to incorporate contemporary jazz and pop voicings into her music. "I had a Yamaha electric guitar for so many years," she says.
"I was interested in playing with a pick and making different things, but it was so hard for me to manage the time to practice classical then pick up the electric guitar. It was weird for me and the technique was so different from the classical, so I quit.
"Some years after that I got this beautiful Epiphone and I started playing some jazz, making some interesting chords and progressions. I found it was not so far from the classical guitar; it felt more familiar to me."
Karen relocated to Brisbane in 2024, transplanting her well-earned wealth of cultural knowledge to our shores where she continues her studies while building her career as a performer. "It has been a huge change for me," Karen laughs.
"Because I am from Colombia, everything – the language, the culture, the food – has been a huge change but it has been really enjoyable. People here are very nice and open to new cultures because [Australia] is a multicultural country, you're used to having a lot of visitors."
In 'Strumming On The Rim' at BEMAC, Karen travels through Latin America performing a collection of her original compositions along with arrangements of classic folk songs from Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. "This is a beautiful and great opportunity for me," Karen says.
"I know the importance of BEMAC as a multicultural organisation that shares and showcases different kinds of music that are not mainstream. What I'm planning to play is some of my original songs that are based on popular folk music from Columbia and Latin America.
"I'm planning to play some covers from Latin America as well. I'll be doing a trip through Latin America, and I will play with both guitars – Spanish and the electric – to have different sounds and approach to the music. I hope it will be a good representation of Latin America."
Karen Arango performs 'Strumming On The Rim' at BEMAC (Brisbane) on 26 April.
