KAREN BENEDETTO, Songwriter (ASCAP, MAC, NAPM, NYSMS, PMA*), is both resident and native of Rockland County, with a home also in New York City. Grateful for the opportunity to create in both the quiet of the Hudson Valley and the high energy of Manhattan, Karen writes in a variety of musical styles, from pop ballads, country, folk, and crossover, to cabaret, inspirational/gospel, and specialty material. Through the years various “day jobs” have helped support her musical journey, including middle management positions in corporate America in the supply chain of companies as diverse as NY Blood Center, Northfield Cheese, Volvo, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, as well as in an academic setting with Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, an arm of Columbia U. Karen has also managed several record stores in the NY and NJ areas. Her debut Songwriter CD, ‘Right From the Start…the Songs of Karen Benedetto’©, is a “various artists” collection of 17 songs, with all words and music by Karen. An array of talented musicians and arrangers in NYC collaborated in the performances on the album to produce deeply feeling and fully rounded treatments of each original song. Featuring prominent and sensitive voices from the Broadway, cabaret, and concert stages as well as two selections performed by the writer, herself, the CD represents a cross-section of the Benedetto song catalog. The title selection from the album, “Right From the Start”©, is included on vocalist Marieann Meringolo’s CD, ‘Imagine…If We Only Have Love’©, an LML Music label release. Included as a bonus track on Karen’s CD is her ‘hip-hop’ number, “Sister Thing”©, written for Girl Scouts of the USA, and is a cut on the organization’s 90th Anniversary release, ‘Sisters Hand in Hand’©, available through GirlScouts.org website. A Trilogy of Peace “The Call”©, Karen’s timeless, healing, and international response to ‘9/11’, was first performed at the United Nations, and continues to receive a great deal of live exposure as well as both radio and TV airplay in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area and across the country. This anthem of peace was featured at commemorative events on Westchester TV channel 12; WFAS 103.9 FM Radio in greater White Plains; WUFT-FM and WJUF-FM in Central Florida and the Nature Coast; KFLH 95.5 FM in Chama, New Mexico; and, at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in NYC, at various interfaith worship and prayer services and live events in Binghamton, NY, and White Plains, NY, as well as in Brooklyn borough-wide events. In addition, Anthony Santelmo Jr included his sensitive rendition of “The Call”© in his 5-week cabaret run at Judy’s/Chelsea, NYC, and Marieann Meringolo included it in her cabaret performances at The Duplex, NYC. It was also part of an ASCAP Songwriter’s Showcase in New York. This song has proven its international appeal by performances in both Amsterdam and Roderwolde, Holland, the Netherlands, by Frans Bloem; on Radio FEDRA in Serbia and Montenegro; and in Slovenia. In Ireland, where it also had radio airplay, it was performed live by Scott Coulter at the Grand Finals of the 2003 Tipperary International Song of Peace Festival to both audience and songwriter peer acclaim. In this competition, “The Call”© was recognized as a Finalist from a field of more than 200 peace song submissions from songwriters the world over. “One”©, a powerful anthem of peace and oneness of Spirit, has been performed at churches and spiritual centers and on New York cabaret and concert stages. It was a Finalist in the 2004 Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest, and was performed live in Ireland at the Grand Finals by cabaret and concert artist, Pamela Palmieri. This song has been performed at events at the United Nations and continues to be heard spreading its vision of peace in a variety of venues worldwide. “One”© is a selection in ‘Holy Now’©, a songbook compiled by the International Association of Unity churches. Completing the trilogy is “Peace Is”©. Though simple in form, it is profound through the eyes and the voices and the song of children. This new peace song was heard at Battery Park City on ‘9/11’ of 2005, performed in a variety of churches and spiritual centers, part of the U.N.-decreed International Day of Peace Vigil in Central Park, September 2005; and part of ‘Harmonizing For Peace and Justice’, a Benefit Concert in Montvale, NJ, April 2006.
Seasonal Sampler “A Holiday Sampler”©, a mini-CD of songs of the season, was released by In the Flow Music in late 2005. The collection includes “I’m Giving Love This Christmas” (“The Perfect Gift”)©, a unique, new pop holiday ballad, which had its public performance debut at the United Nations. It was presented at an ASCAP Songwriter’s Showcase in NYC (to “show stopping” ovation!), and has received airplay on the Joey Reynolds Show (WOR 710 AM); ‘Everything Old is New Again’ with David Kenney (WBAI 99.5 FM); ‘Across the Prairie’ with Cathy DeWitt (NPR Station WUFT-FM, Gainesville, FL); ‘Living Healthy, Living Well’ with Denise Richardson (WNYE 91.5 FM); and other radio stations across the country, as well as at the NY Sheet Music Society, at Unity Church of New York, and various other spiritual centers and public and private holiday events in the NYC area. Included also is the very moving holiday piece, “A Chanukah Prayer”©. Following in the sampler is “Time and Truth”©, performed by the songwriter, with “Happy New Year”© concluding this collection of Karen’s seasonal selections. “The Perfect Gift”© is also included in a holiday compilation CD, entitled ‘Holiday Heart’© produced by and for St. Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, of West Orange, NJ, a Hospice Foundation of America site, released Fall 2005. Honors In addition to recognition of “One”© and “The Call”© in Tipperary, songwriting competition results have yielded Finalist status for “Walking in the Light”© “in both the 2003 Unisong International Song Contest and the 2003 UK Songwriting Contest. “One”© and “I’m Giving Love This Christmas” (“The Perfect Gift”)© in their respective categories of the 2004 UK Songwriting Contest, “The Perfect Gift”©, an Honor Award in both the 2003 Great American Song Contest and in the Paramount Group’s 2004 Nashville International Christmas Song Contest. “Holding On”©, an Honorable Mention in the category Journey of Self-Discovery of the 2005 International Narrative Song Competition; Honorable Mention of “One”© in the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in its gospel/inspirational category, and an Honor Award for “Southern Rains”© (a response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita) in the acoustic/folk category of the 2005 Great American Song Contest. Publishing Both “The Call”© and “One”©, along with the inspirational/gospel piece, “Walking In the Light”©, have been signed for publishing with Josie Jane Music Publishing, No Adams, MI. The country selections, “I’d Have Loved You”© and “Right From the Start”©, are published with Tower Music Group, Nashville. Sign of the Ram Music in Philadelphia has entered into co-publishing with In the Flow Music for “What Do I Do Now (Without You)?”©, “You’re the One”, “You’re There”©, “Here In This Place” (“Stillpoint”)©, “I’ll Never Lie To You”©, and “Time and Truth”©, as well as the holiday selections, “Happy New Year”© and “I’m Giving Love This Christmas” (“The Perfect Gift”)©. Local Artist Performances Selections from the Karen Benedetto song catalog have been part of various events around the NYC area. In addition to the above-mentioned cabaret and concert artists and venues, K.B. songs have been included in programs at NY Sheet Music Society (NYSMS) in its ‘New Songwriters Series’, at which Nancy McGraw sang “Yesterdays”©, Julie Reyburn performed “Swing”©, and “The Call”©, which featured Scott Coulter reprising his performance as it was done in Ireland. ‘Timeless Divas’, a revue co-produced by Sandi Durell and Shari Upbin, included Georga Osborne performing “California”©. In his cabaret performance, Kevin Scott Hall debuted “True To Yourself”©. Janine Alondres included “Here’s To the Lady”© in her shows. In his inimitable characterization of Carol Channing, Richard Skipper debuted “Swing”©, Karen’s clever and affectionate tribute to understudies everywhere. He included it in the run of his revue, ‘Carol’s Cabaret Cavalcade’, at the Triad, NYC, as well making it a part of his show, ‘An Evening With Carol Channing starring Richard Skipper’, at Rockland Center for the Arts, at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre, NYC, and at venues in Washington, DC. Jonathan Frank performed “Swing”© in his cabaret run at the Duplex, NYC. Sue Matsuki debuted “Time and Truth”© in her late 2005 show series “10 Years in the Making”. “Bartimaeus’ Song”©, performed by Anthony Santelmo Jr and Scott Benedict with Karen accompanying on guitar, was commissioned by Chelsea Community Church, NYC, for its 10th anniversary production of “Walk the Via Dolorosa” where it debuted on Palm Sunday 2006. A return visit to NY Sheet Music Society’s ‘New Songwriter’s Series’ in late-Spring 2006 features Marcus Simeone performing “You’re There”© and Sue Matsuki with “Time and Truth”©. It is an honor to know that Anthony Santelmo Jr and Pamela Palmieri have each committed themselves to including Karen Benedetto material in all of their cabaret shows and concert appearances. The dates and the events continue… Origin and Early Influences KAREN BENEDETTO was born in White Plains, NY, and grew up in Nyack. She has been a poet as far back as she can remember, gaining her great Early influences were Joni Mitchell; Judy Collins; James Taylor; John Denver; Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Beatles; Linda Ronstadt; Ella Fitzgerald, Anne Murray and Karen Carpenter. In fact, she is often told she has the vocal quality of Karen Carpenter—“sweet and rich at the same time”. She was then, and continues to be, a huge fan of the female voice in any form. Recognition for one of her earliest writings, “She Lives Inside of You”©, was an honorable mention from the American Songwriting Competition. This poignant ballad, written for a friend whose baby had died in an auto accident, was honored for its thoughtful and moving lyrics. More recently, at Still Point House of Prayer in Saratoga, NY, while on spiritual retreat, Karen wrote “Living in the Flow”©, the title and message of which became the name of the company she and her business partner, Jean Barlow, formed, with both women as founder/owner/partners, for the purpose of marketing and furthering the work of the songwriter. In those early days, they continued to perform “…Flow”—and, later, “Here In This Place” (“Stillpoint”)© for non-profit organizations, churches, and spiritual centers, with a significant portion from tape sales being returned as a donation to those various groups. * * * The KarenBenedettoSongs.com website showcases Karen’s songwriting talents in many musical genres—pop, country, folk, crossover, * * * The CD, “Right From the Start…the Songs of Karen Benedetto”©, is available from CDBaby.com, Tower.com, and Cabaret Scenes.com, as well as from Karen’s website, www.KarenBenedettoSongs.com.
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appreciation for the joy of music from her Mom’s love of Broadway show tunes and her Dad’s interest in the jazz greats. Receiving her first guitar at the age of 12—and teaching herself to play it—she was then able to set her poems to music. “My world was small,” she relates, “poetry and music were a means of expressing myself—a way to say what I couldn’t say out loud.”
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