Biography

Dr. Kari Johnson Barroso is a pianist and educator currently based in Topeka, Kansas. With a passion for both contemporary and historical repertoire, she has been featured as a performer at Electronic Music Midwest, the Thailand International Composition Festival, SEAMUS, the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, and ICMC. After more than a decade away from the concert stage, she made her return in 2025 with a performance at Electronic Music Midwest in Kansas City.

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Kari holds a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Central Missouri State University; a Master’s in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University; a Master’s in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her principal teachers include Dr. Mia Kim, Dr. Robert Satterlee, Dr. Timothy Ehlen, and Professor John McIntyre.

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In addition to her performing and teaching work, Kari is currently pursuing an RCM ARCT Diploma and creating pedagogical arrangements of both classical masterworks and popular music. She is especially interested in developing listening calendars and curriculum materials to help young students build meaningful relationships with classical music.

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Outside of music, Kari is an avid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and competition champion, helps her husband run their BJJ academy, and enjoys watching classic European cinema with her cats when she can.  She is nearly fluent in Portuguese, and travels as often as she can.