Karen Becker, Cello

Cellist Karen Becker is Professor of Cello at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, principal cellist of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and director of the University of Nebraska and Lincoln Public Schools String Project. She is an active soloist and avid chamber player, performing regularly throughout the United States as well as Europe, Mexico, and most recently in Seoul, Korea. Becker has recorded for several PBS documentaries and independent films. She tours regularly as a soloist and chamber player and is a member of the Concordia String Trio (CST), which has released several CDs in the past several years. She is cellist in the Una Corda Ensemble (resident quintet at the University of Nebraska), and her solo CD American Landscapes will be released this year on the Centaur label. She has been featured on American Public Media’s Performance Today numerous times. In addition to Red Lodge Music Festival, Becker will serve in July 2023 as Visiting Artist for the International Cello Institute, as well as the SoundWaves music camp at the Omaha Conservatory. An active member of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), she has served as a past president of both the Nebraska and Missouri chapters, presented at numerous national conferences, served on national committees for ASTA, and is a recipient of the ASTA Citation for Leadership & Merit. In March of this year, she was invited to give the Pre-Collegiate Masterclass at the ASTA national conference in Orlando. As a string educator, Becker enjoys serving as a cello clinician, giving masterclasses for cellists of all ages, conducting honors orchestras, and giving clinics.