Karen Marrolli is the Director of Choral Ministries at United Church of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the current Musical Director of the Zia Singers. She has previously served as the Music Director of Ingleside Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA and the Assistant Conductor of the St. Gregory Choir at Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC.

Marrolli holds the DMA degree in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University (2010), where she studied Choral Conducting with Dr. Kenneth Fulton. She earned her BM in Music Theory and Composition (1997) and her MM in Choral Conducting and Sacred Music (2000) from Westminster Choir College before relocating to Charleston, SC, where she lived for seven years prior to pursuing doctoral studies.

While in Charleston, she served as the Director of Choir and Orchestra at James Island Charter High School, Conductor of the College of Charleston University Chorus, and the Assistant Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus. During this time she also founded Lux Aeterna, a chamber choir who presented candlelight concerts in honor of such events as World AIDS Day, the September 11th attacks, and Child Abuse Awareness Month. These concerts always consisted of readings, often written by survivors of traumatic events, interspersed with choral music. The concerts progressed from a sense of darkness to light and were meant to give hope to those who were in a process of healing. In 2007, Lux Aeterna was invited to perform at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Marrolli’s choral works are published through Morningstar and Colla Voce. In June of 2010, her arrangement of “Patapan” was recorded for commercial release by the Taylor Festival Choir and featured such Celtic Music greats as John Doyle and Liz Carroll.