Karen Tanaka（原名田中カレン），1961年4月7日出生於日本東京，是一位多才多藝的日本作曲家及鋼琴家。她自幼便開始正規的鋼琴和作曲課程。她的求學經歷包括在東京桐朋學園大學師從三善晃學習作曲，後獲得法國政府獎學金前往巴黎師從Tristan Murail，並獲得Nadia Boulanger基金會和日本政府獎學金資助，前往佛羅倫斯師從Luciano Berio。
田中カレン榮獲眾多獎項，包括1987年憑藉其鋼琴協奏曲《變形記》（Anamorphose）獲得荷蘭Gaudeamus獎、日本的村松獎、佐治敬三獎和別宮獎。她的作品涵蓋廣泛的流派，包括管弦樂、鋼琴與管弦樂、獨奏樂器、室內樂、合唱、電子聲學及電影配樂。她曾擔任英國廣播公司（BBC）電視影集《地球脈動 II》（Planet Earth II）的編曲，並為動畫電影《姊妹》（Sister）配樂，該片曾獲第92屆奧斯卡最佳動畫短片提名。
她的音樂時常反映她對大自然的熱愛以及對環境的關注。田中カレン的作品曾由全球知名的管弦樂團和樂團演出，例如BBC交響樂團、洛杉磯愛樂樂團和東京NHK交響樂團。她目前居住於洛杉磯，並在加州藝術學院教授作曲。
雖然要明確列出「15首流行」的作品具挑戰性，因為作品的受歡迎程度是主觀的，且在不同古典音樂聽眾間會有所差異，但以下是田中カレン15首知名且常被提及的作品，展現了她多樣化的創作：
Anamorphose (鋼琴協奏曲)Children of Light (鋼琴曲集，常被提及用於教學)
Lavender Field (鋼琴)
Night Bird (中音薩克斯風與電子樂/磁帶，亦有其他樂器組合版本)
Water Dance (器樂)
Our Planet Earth (兒童鋼琴曲)
Techno Etudes (鋼琴，亦有雙鋼琴及打擊樂版本)
Metal Strings (弦樂四重奏)Silent Ocean (小號與鋼琴)
Invisible Curve (室內樂團)
The Song of Songs (大提琴與電子樂)
Frozen Horizon (管弦樂)
Dreamscape (器樂)Ocean (小提琴與鋼琴)Masquerade (鋼琴)
Karen Tanaka (born in Tokyo, Japan, on April 7, 1961) is a highly versatile Japanese composer and pianist. She began formal piano and composition lessons as a child. Her studies include composition with Akira Miyoshi at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Tristan Murail in Paris (with a French Government Scholarship), and Luciano Berio in Florence (with funds from the Nadia Boulanger Foundation and a Japanese Government Scholarship).
Tanaka has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Gaudeamus Prize in the Netherlands in 1987 for her piano concerto "Anamorphose," the Muramatsu Prize, Keizo Saji Prize, and Bekku Prize in Japan. Her compositions span a wide range of genres, including orchestral works, piano and orchestral pieces, solo instrumental pieces, chamber music, choral works, electroacoustics, and film scores. She has also served as an orchestrator for the BBC's TV series Planet Earth II and scored the animated film Sister, which was nominated for a 92nd Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Her music often reflects her love of nature and concern for the environment. Karen Tanaka's works have been performed by distinguished orchestras and ensembles worldwide, such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. She currently lives in Los Angeles and teaches composition at the California Institute of the Arts.
While it is challenging to definitively list "15 popular" pieces as popularity can be subjective and vary across different classical music audiences, here are 15 notable and frequently mentioned works by Karen Tanaka, representing her diverse output:
Anamorphose (Piano concerto)
Children of Light (Piano collection, often mentioned for pedagogical use)
Lavender Field (Piano)
Night Bird (Alto saxophone and electronics/tape, also for other instrumental combinations)
Water Dance (Instrumental)
Our Planet Earth (Piano pieces for children)
Techno Etudes (Piano, also in versions for two pianos and percussion)
Metal Strings (String quartet)
Silent Ocean (Trumpet and piano)
Invisible Curve (Chamber ensemble)
The Song of Songs (Cello and electronics)
Frozen Horizon (Orchestral)
Dreamscape (Instrumental)
Ocean (Violin and piano)
Masquerade (Piano)