Karen Lee’s life has been filled with music since she was a very young child. She studied piano and accompanied children’s orchestras and a children’s choir, then switched to the organ at age 15. She played the organ in churches until the age of 37. That was a big year of changes for Karen as she switched careers from high school librarian to trial lawyer. No time for music for quite a while at that point!

Fast forward to her retirement and, with it, the excitement of playing music again. Karen craved a change: a portable instrument. One day, she heard an accordionist playing at the Sons of Norway Hall. She loved the sound of the reeds, and it was portable!! “Under the Christmas tree that year was an accordion” from her very supportive husband Larry.

Karen’s life moved rapidly in a different and exciting direction — and many of us are so grateful for that change!! Karen happily put much energy into learning to play the accordion. She joined a folk band, went to the annual Las Vegas Accordion Convention, joined the local Los Angeles accordion club and its then new ensemble, “The Accordionaires Pops Orchestra”. Through that connection, Karen found out that the celebrated jazz accordionist Frank Marocco, and directors Joan and Dan Grauman were holding the first of eight accordion camps. As director of this delightful annual event, I need to insert here that Karen was truly part of why our camp was so delightful and successful! She came all eight years, as did many others, and we truly became a large, happy family! Frank, who was no longer teaching accordion,
decided to take Karen as a student. She studied with him for several years until his untimely death in 2012 — a very hard time for all of us.

And fast forwarding again, Karen began to study with another great, Ilmar Kuljus who she still studies with today. Karen describes Ilmar as “the best teacher in any subject that I have ever had”. She also plays in a Klezmer group “Shtetl Menschen”, is on the governing board of ATG and …. she has one of the largest collections of accordion figurines in the world!!

Karen’s collection began with the purchase of a little wooden accordion player. She truly loved his figurine and soon was receiving figurines, letter openers, jewelry — you name it — with the accordion theme, as gifts. “That started something seemingly uncontrollable and unstoppable”, Karen said. “If I were to post a photograph of one item a day, it would take me over three years to show you all of them!” These items are made of everything “from paper to metal to fine porcelain. They depict men, women, children, angels, Santas, cats, hedgehogs…. They range in size from under an inch to over two feet tall. They come from all over the world.”

Here are some photos of Karen’s collection that I am sure you will enjoy! If you have not met Karen yet, try to do so — you will enjoy her very much too!