Karyn Macfarlane began her violin studies in Chicago at the age of three with Betty Haag-Kuhnke and has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. As a student, Karyn participated in the New York String Seminar and the Aspen Music Festival, and began her professional career as a member of the New World Symphony where she was also an active touring chamber musician. She was a member of the Kansas City Symphony and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra where she held the positions of Assistant Principal Second Violin and later Associate Concertmaster. Karyn served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. She has also performed with the Houston Symphony, IRIS Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra, and regularly performs with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Karyn received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame where she studied violin with Carolyn Plummer. She furthered her violin studies with Suli Xue and Martin Chalifour at the University of Southern California, and her other most influential teachers include Shmuel Ashkenasi, Piotr Milewski, David Taylor, and Joey Corpus.

Karyn lives in the Chicago area with her husband, violinist John Macfarlane, and their three children. She is also an ICF-trained certified professional coach and the founder and owner of Supporting Stars LLC, where she helps wives of pro athletes and performing artists balance their supportive roles with their personal dreams and goals.