Introducing Pianist Karen Xie

This article first appeared in Jersey Jazz Magazine.

While attending City University of New York's Hunter College as a music major, Karen Xie stumbled upon one of the jazz studies program's big-band concerts. "There were four other people in the audience and 20 people on stage," she recalled. Xie, who is classically trained, felt the band's performance was "really cool. I thought that was something I could do because I could read music. Right after, I started sitting in on their classes, and the next semester I started playing. That was my first introduction to jazz."

At 22 years old, Xie is pursuing a master's degree in jazz studies at Montclair State University (MSU). She is a member of the MSU Jazz Ensemble, which performed at the Montclair Jazz Festival in September, 2024 and on December 6, 2024, as part of a sextet performing at the junior recital of fellow student, tenor saxophonist Ryan Huston.

Xie was attracted by the "energy" of jazz. "There's so much good energy coming from everyone on stage," she said. "It's a little different classically. I think I've gone through what a lot of people have gone through —practice and recital. Jazz was just so different. There's so much joy, although improvising was very nerve wracking. I remember they told me to play a blues, and I had just learned what a blues was. I just put my hands above the keyboard and told my teacher to take the next person."

The jazz program at Hunter is directed by trombonist Ryan Keberle. "He's awesome," Xie said. "He's one of my musical heroes." Keberle described Xie as "one of the most talented musicians I've had the pleasure to work with in my 21 years-plus of leading the program at Hunter College. Her musically diverse interests, combined with her enthusiasm and curiosity for all things music related, allowed her to excel across genres and ensembles within the Hunter College music department. During her time at Hunter, she participated in almost every ensemble including the Hunter Symphony, with which she performed a solo piano concerto as winner of the annual concerto competition."

In addition to jazz and the symphony, Keberle said that Xie was in chamber music ensembles, pop combos and the choir. "She was a pleasure to work with," he added, "and I'm excited to watch her career develop and to listen to the beautiful music that I'm confident she'll continue to make."

While Xie was a Hunter student, Wynton Marsalis was on campus to celebrate the unveiling of a new Appel Rehearsal Hall, made possible by a gift from Bob and Helen Appel. Bob Appel, who passed away in 2022, was chairman emeritus at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC). Helen Appel is a trustee on the Hunter College Foundation and teaches history in their School of Continuing Education. JALC's Appel Room is named after the Appels. The rehearsal hall opening, Xie said, was "a really fun event. I was super surprised to see Wynton Marsalis there. I got to play a classical piece for him."

Xie has been playing music since she was four years old. She just sat down at the piano and began to play. "I was able to plunk out (Beethoven's) 'Für Elise.'" Growing up in New York's Chinatown, her first exposure to formal music training was at her daycare facility. "They had this woman who would come in and try to teach us. She was very stern —'play these notes in this order' —and I did not like it. I got my own little keyboard, and that was a lot more fun."

After graduating from Hunter, "I knew I wanted to do a masters in jazz. I wanted to be plugged in and continue learning." She was already taking impromptu lessons from MSU faculty member David DeMotta and is now studying there with pianist David Cook. Her current piano heroes? "Fred Hersch, Miki Yamanaka, and I really like Gadi Lehavi, a young Israeli pianist who has played with vocalist-guitarist Camila Meza."

As for the future, "I want to write more music. Right now, I just want to learn as much as I can in school. I'm just really grateful to be a musician."

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