Karen Olson is a classical music prodigy who loves to write and perform music, which she claims has helped free her from all doubts about herself.  “I just kept following my heart, and my biggest passion became creating albums,” Olson said. “It just really helps me connect with God, as did working with the Catholic Church on various projects.

“It goes way back for me in helping me connect with the angels and the saints and really feeling that level of reverence and guidance so I can be a conduit with my music.”

Her latest work is “Divine Echoes,” a spiritual album that features the song “Pilgrimage Prayer,” a modern adaptation of the “Prayer of St. Francis.” The record blends religious and spiritual songs with a New Age sensibility, while admittedly drawing on her vast musical experiences and deep-rooted Christian faith.

“I always loved the ‘Prayer of St. Francis’ and the thought of having eternal life after death,” said Olson, who credits her music and spiritual faith with helping her overcome many challenges in her life. “I’m just thrilled with the notion that some people who may never have known that prayer will hear those words through this new recording.”

“Divine Echoes” was a three-year project she collaborated on with author, composer, and filmmaker Michael Pascal — a Catholic and former monk in Nepal before coming to New York. “[Pascal] really liked my music, and so we collaborated on a few things, and he used them in a program he has for prisoners in [Los Angeles],” Olson said.

She added that Pascal insisted on doing the album after she showed him a video of her playing the traditional “Prayer of St. Francis” for her father in the nursing home. Olson was trained in classical music at an early age and began playing the viola, which led her to pursue a music career. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The Julliard School in New York, a Master’s Degree from Juilliard and Yale University, and a Ph.D. in music performance from New York University.

Olson, the sister-in-law of Currents News producer Jim Ettorre, is currently performing with the New York Pops through May. She said joining the New York Pops in 1995 allowed her to perform in places like Carnegie Hall and travel around the world with them. Olson has performed with classical and pop legends through the years and began her longtime tenure as a violist with the New York Pops when it was under the direction of Skitch Henderson.

Additionally, she has performed alongside legends ranging from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Liberace, Dionne Warwick, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, and The Who’s Roger Daltry, as well as more contemporary artists like Sarah McLachlan and Jason Mraz.

“Divine Echoes” includes six songs and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart. The album has a spiritual feel to it with songs like “Droplets of Dreams” and “Skybound Serenade,” with birds chirping in the background, and “Whispers of the Wind,” an Enja-like New Age chant.

While Olson’s recordings have earned her five Top 10’s on the Billboard charts, along with numerous awards and nominations, she cherishes the camaraderie with the artists she has worked with most of all.

“My favorite was Sammy Davis, Jr. ” Olson said. “I still get chills thinking about how the room would get quiet when he did ‘Mr. Bojangles,’ and how he sang it from his heart.”