Karen Peterson
Howard Brodbeck
PebbleRock Band member and PebbleCreek resident Karen Peterson grew up in Wisconsin in a musical family. They had their own band with her dad on guitar, brothers on bass, banjo, and drums, and Karen and her sister on piano and they all sang and had great harmonies. Karen began piano lessons at age 4. She studied organ, piano, and voice at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn., and then transferred to the University of Wisconsin where she earned a B.S. in K-12 Music Education. Karen worked her way through college playing at a singalong place with banjos and peanut shells on the floor. A few years after that, she got her first job as a solo performer and she was hooked on being a pro musician. After college, Karen performed with a six–piece band throughout Canada and the MidWest.
Following her older brother, who was also a professional musician, to Colorado, she ended up playing at Colorado ski resorts for many years. Karen took a job teaching K-5 music in Frisco, Colo., for a short time, and although she loved the kids, entertaining was her true passion. In addition to teaching, she performed at the ski resorts, and was also music director, organist, and choir director at Lord of the Mountains Church in Dillon, Colo., for more than 10 years.
One particular spring, while looking for work, a booking agent approached her and off she went to both Japan and Norway. The following year she was booked at a job in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and met her husband, Chris, there. They were married and raised their two children in Summit County, Colo.
Karen and Chris bought a home in PebbleCreek in 2018 and fate stepped in again.While at Augie’s Sports Grill they heard Howard Brodbeck playing guitar in a duo. They struck up a conversation, and when Karen said she was a professional keyboard player who read music and played by ear and lived in PebbleCreek, Howard jumped at the opportunity to add Karen to PebbleRock Band and called her the next day.
Karen and Howard immediately started playing solo/duo jobs together, but Howard assured her she was what he needed in PebbleRock Band, and when the band keyboard player quit, Howard asked Karen to join. Covid hit shortly thereafter, so Karen and Howard kept doing solo and duo engagements and started looking to build the band back up. They were fortunate to find two excellent guitar players in Ron Devine on guitar and Robert Rochefort on bass to complete the new PebbleRock Band, the best one ever, and as soon as venues started booking bands after Covid, they all started playing together.
Karen takes a philosophic approach to music and life. “Life ever changes for us all. The one constant that has always been in my life is music and piano. Always. I sit down at the piano bench and I am home. It is my heart and soul. It is who I am,” she says.
PebbleRock will be playing again this season all over the west valley with Karen at keyboard. Follow us on Facebook and in the PebbleCreek Residents FaceBook Group.
Next month: band member Robert Rochefort