Today, we are speaking with Karen Salicath Jamali.
Karen is a Professional Multi Award-winning Composer, Pianist, and Professional American Artist, for the last 30 years, born in Denmark, living and working in NYC. & Florida. She is Educated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art, School of Design in Copenhagen, 1991. Working as a painter, sculptor, and photographer for 30 years. Now also as a composer and musician.
Can you give us a little background information about yourself? How did you get into music?
I have been and Professional artist for my whole life, traveled all over the world with my art 180 exhibition in galleries and museums including Louvre Museum in Paris, I have also made public instantiations and have 700 private collectors, been awarded whit a lots of art award in the international art community including a Oscar in Art, but…
It wasn’t until an accident that caused me a head injury and a what you call a near-death experience that I started to play and compose Piano music, it opened up a new world for me. The accident occurred in 2012 after a long recovery to 2015
My life changed after this and I got another experience of the world after that. Previously I had never played piano before, ore composed anything, I began to compose and play meditative Piano music, my finger just new were to play on the piano, It is a miracle for me and I still don’t understand who this is possible. My music has a special tone that will put the listener into a relaxed state of consciousness. Often the music came and coming to me in the night and I have to go up and play it before I can go to rest again, I decided to record & play what I was experiencing. After 4 years of playing I have made 7 beautiful Albums & 2000+ music compositions and have more than a million listeners.
When I was 8 years old I began to play Classical Guitar for the next 15 years, so I have some music education in my past but not on Piano. My dream was to become a musician.
I am now a many-time winner of American Protege International competitions. and a selected semi-finalist for “Piano performance” and for “composer” by “The American Prize” this year 2019-2020. This last year I have performed at Carnegie Hall, 7 times solo, all whit my own compositions, this has been my first concert ever.
What sort of work have you put into the recording and creative processes for “Pearls”?
My Album Pearl I was working on for 2 years, I kept getting music down, and collected the best of my work for 2 years in this album, it’s a very meditative relaxing, new classical music Album, the best so far, I believe I have made
How is the process for “Pearls” different from your other compositions? How different is the approach you take from music to that of your art?
The Process creating Peals have been different in this way that I waited 2 years to collect the music, the other albums I made very quickly, I get so much music down and record all the times so it can be difficult to select the best, I desisted to take my time with the album Pearls which is the pearls of 2 years compositions.
My music and my art comes from the same place, it is spiritual, I open up for the universe and the art comes to me from the angels in different forms, Music, sculpture ore paintings and poems I will say the music and my paintings are very closes to each other the process is very similar it is quick it is flowing in the air it is now, I works with nature and diverse materials transmuting energy and light and rhythm in my paintings. My sculpture is different it takes a long time, I draw on the human figure as a common language that speaks to us all. I try in my works of sculpture to evoke the universality of the human condition. It is a language that is accessible to all regardless of age, culture, and education. Because of this, my figures, are timeless and highly stylistic they embody universality.
You can say the same of my music it is a universal language, I try to speak to the language of the heart and soul coming from a place of compassion inspired by the sound of Angels.
Several of my paintings are inspired by the phenomena in general relativity known as “Event Horizons.” An event horizon is a space-time boundary beyond which the laws of physics as we know them, cease to exist. It is my hope that my works speak to the soul and entices the viewer to see beyond the mere physicality of a piece, to a deeper level of personal understanding and emotional meaning.
The same you can say of my music, I work with the invisible space between to stars ore to human’s ore to tones to make them in balance, when something is in balance some people can hear it as a special vibration.
What does your recording set up look like (what do you use to record, what are your favorite tools)?
I am playing on my Old Grand Steinway D from the golden age, it has a very special vibration and round deep tone which remind me of the Angels this Piano has become a part of me, I love my Piano. The recording I do very simple, I am not technical at all, I have a little Roland recorder and 2 very good Neumann microphones, they always stand ready to record I just have to press 2 button that’s it, I make the music on a CD its more physical for me, I like that, for me it is making a piece of art to have a CD in my hand, and I know where I have my music, after that I put it in the computer, I never do any changes ore mastering of my recording it is the raw recording when the music comes to me, I play it and record it in the same secund.
Tell us a bit more about the current compositions you’re working on.
I have been so lucky to be rewarded with a sponsorship to make a record with Orpheus Classical https://www.orpheusclassical.com which is the first record label I have work with Orpheus Classical is a new record label for Classical music they have recording studios is in New York, Paris and Madrid and there artist is selected to perform ad venues like Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonic and Musicverien in Vienna, I am very honored and thankful they have chosen my music. I am working on this right now. In this coming Album I am working more in the debt of balancing the tones and vibrations just like tuning them together in layer of rhythm and vibrations and Balancing in the right order, nature have its own order and balance Like the universe has, just like mathematics suddenly everything fits into its right place it’s when the beauty gets in to balance and things are right and true.
Which composers / artists are the greatest influences for you and your music?
I have always loved music since I was child when I was 1 year old I was dancing on my butt before I could walk to African Jazz so much that my parent have to take me to a chiropractor, later on I was very inspired by the Spanish guitar composer Francisco Tarrega he was my favorite when I was child and the Brazilian composer Villa Lobos also Bach, Mozart and Beethoven they all become my music foundation when I was child and young, and I believe they all are in my memory’s when I compose, but I love many kind of music when I can hear it’s coming from the heart.
I have been very inspired by artist like the Mexican Sculptor Francisco Zúñiga, Michelangelo and Rodin and the Egypt Art, in painting I love Chagall, Kandinsky, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Hilma af Klimt oh there is so many marvels artist.
How has the online and traditional media responses been for your music?
The press has embraced my music and my listers too it is so wonderful and amazing for me that my music touch so many hearts so much, this make me so happy. Her is one of the sentences the press wrote about my music,
“Karen Salicath Jamali redefining the standards of classical piano with the subtlety of contemporary spirits in her New Album Pearls”
“The creative scope and transcendence that is captured in her piano samples are beautifully constructed that flows with worldly emotions and closure, some of her most highly regarded samples like “Pearls”, “Angel Blue’, “Blue Shade”
How is it wearing a number of creative / occupational hats (performer, student)?
My motto is I am who I am J I am creating art in all kind of materials for the ear, the eye and the hand but mostly for the heart.
What does the rest of 2020 hold for you?
I will be finish with the album for Orpheus Classical and I was supposed to have performed in Carnegie hall but since it closed down because of COVID-19 it will be next summer in the big Carnegie hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, which is one of my dreams come true I look so much forward to it and hope the world is a healthy and better place next summer.
Finally, do you have any additional thoughts about life and the universe for our readers?
I will say that it is important to persevere even if you are experiencing a lot of adversity and understand That life is a gift as it is a gift living on this beautiful planet, take care of Mother earth she is our home give her love spread the love be good to each other, this is the only thing there exist when we are here and after.
Thank you so much for your time.
For more information about Karen Salicath Jamali visit:
Her artworks are in Jamali NYC Gallery New York Soho.