Singer, writer, storyteller, and public speaker Karen Underwood, originally from Chicago, Illinois, found her way to Cork in 1997.
Since then Karen has produced several shows, including ‘Singing Nina’, ‘The Story of Soul’, ‘Of Ladies Lost and Found’, ‘Generations’, ‘Soul in the City’, and ‘The Black American Songbook’, Karen’s interpretation of Black American music from the underground railroad to Cork.
She has performed at venues across Ireland including Cork Opera House, The Everyman, The Olympia, The Gate, Vicar Street, Millennium Forum Theatre, The National Concert Hall and Marley Park as well as countless others.
In October 2023 Karen sold out 5 shows for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival at Cork Opera House. Now she returns to the Green Room at Cork Opera House with the music and life of Nina Simone, accompanied by renowned pianist Gary Beecher and band.