Karin “K” Bliznik (she/they) is a trumpeter featured on multiple Grammy Award-winning orchestral albums whose career spans orchestral performance, international touring, recording production, arts advocacy, and music education. She served as Principal Trumpet of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra for a decade and previously held positions with the Atlanta Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and Charleston Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Santa Fe Opera. She has appeared as Guest Principal Trumpet and soloist with the New York Philharmonic and has performed with the London and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Boston Pops, and countless popular artists including Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Ben Folds, and The Temptations.
In October 2025, Bliznik joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic for its Asia Tour under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei following the tour's opening performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. As a multifaceted touring trumpet player, she frequently performs with Trumpet Mafia at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and is currently performing on pop artist Boyfriend's In the Garden U.S. theater tour. She has also performed with Latin Grammy nominee Gina Chavez at SXSW, Folk Alliance, and Hollywood Pride, as well as on three international community-service and LGBTQIA+-focused tours through the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program in Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mongolia.
When not producing or performing, Bliznik enjoys building creative community in her hometown of Saint Louis through salon gatherings with her partner, Brooking Caldwell, and mentoring the next generation of musicians through university residencies, private coaching, and her work as Outreach Coordinator and frequent judge for the National Trumpet Competition—a role that is especially meaningful as she won both the Master Division and Ensemble Division in 2007.
Bliznik is passionate about expanding equitable access to music opportunities. In 2020, she founded Tower Grove Records, an independent label dedicated to producing and engineering recordings by underrepresented artists and composers. Her recent production work includes Showcase: New Works for Brass Quintet by the all-female ensemble Seraph Brass.
Bliznik currently serves as Vice President of the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter Board, following multiple terms of service that have included leadership roles on the Advocacy, Nominating, and Classical Membership Committees, as well as mentoring students through Grammy U. She is also Director of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Trumpet Seminar.
Bliznik holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University. She has appeared as guest faculty at the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and National Orchestra Institute.
