Karen Burke is the co-founder of Burke Music Inc., a Gospel music production and publishing company. In 1988, Karen co-founded the Toronto Mass Choir (TMC), a Juno award-winning Gospel choir. TMC has recorded 14 albums and toured in ten different countries including Italy, Poland, and the Dominican Republic.

In 2005, Karen became a professor in the music department at York University, teaching music education courses and developing the first post-secondary Gospel music curricular courses in Canada and establishing the York University Gospel Choir. Currently, Karen is the Chair of the York University Music Department.

Karen has offered workshops for many schools and organizations including the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, the Ontario Music Educators Association (OMEA), and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Karen has also travelled internationally teaching Gospel music in countries such as the United States, Poland, and Romania.

In 2019, Karen was awarded the Harry Jerome Award in the Arts, Media and Entertainment category which acknowledges a history of outstanding achievement in the creative arts, media and/or entertainment industry. The BBPA Harry Jerome Award is recognized as the most prestigious national award in the African Canadian community.

In 2020, Karen joined a list of other Canadian music icons in a collection of interviews in the book release ‘Talk’, by well-known musician and on-air radio host, Bill King.