Karen Ames

Artist, Athlete, Business leader, Connector

Over a span of thirty years, Karen has headed communications and public affairs efforts for the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera, ultimately founding own global communications firm. Her depth of experience in the cultural world informs her position at Meyer Sound where she works internationally to build awareness of the company through partnerships and collaborations with some of the world’s most innovative cultural institutions and artists. As a senior executive with cultural institutions, Karen handled numerous European, Asian, and US promotional campaigns for major touring and recording projects; launched the unique five-year multi-media music education broadcast project “Keeping Score: MTT on Music;” led inaugural season activities for conductors Michael Tilson Thomas and Nicola Luisotti and Opera General Director David Gockley; and created countless new audience engagements initiatives such as radio broadcasts, nationwide cinema-cast series, Parks Concerts and Opera in the Ballpark. Karen has been featured as a guest lecturer at national orchestra and opera conferences and has served as an arts advocate 2005 San Francisco Arts Task Force and on Capitol Hill. A year abroad at Sheffied University in the UK convinced Karen that her future was not in the study of comparative governments but in the music business. Upon her return to the US, Karen’s professional experience in the music world began as manager of The Contractions, a seminal all-female rock band in San Francisco and continued as a publicist for Ken Baker Publicity handing concerts for Bill Graham Presents in addition to touring projects with George Thorogood, Robert Cray, and Huey Lewis. Her experience in communications is augmented by professional certification from New Ventures West as a Certified Integral Coach. An admirer of Byron Katie, Brene Brown, and Riso/Hudson Enneagram research, Karren incorporates principles of these various integral life ideas into her personal and professional life. Karen Ames graduated from California State University Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. As part of that course work, she also completed final year university courses in Politics at the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, England. Karen captains two competitive tennis teams and spends her free time crafting in the Waldorf style using wood, wool and beeswax.

80's punk rock, Classical Music, Enneagram, Opera, Professional Audio, Tennis, Waldorf Education