Steeped in jazz and theater, her concerts and recordings are journeys in theme, story and song — what BroadwayWorld calls "the musical equivalent of a Martha Graham dance concert."
Her albums are explorations of theme through sound and story. Falling is a mythological and personal examination of descent. Smolder, its predecessor, an invocation and expiation of flame. In 2023 she co-led Holidays with Grammy winner Ted Nash, bringing her lyric writing and interpretive skill to new and traditional song alike.
Compared to "Tom Waits minus the growl" (Midwest Jazz Record) and praised for music "worthy of a stage musical," she has carved out an entirely singular place in musical art that defies category.
Her upcoming album Intoxication — an exploration of desire, memory, and other altered states — is forthcoming in 2027.
Before becoming the singer, songwriter and arranger she is today, Kristen worked extensively in theater as an actress across styles and stages. Sondheim, Shakespeare and Stoppard left their mark: a deep respect for words and story ever infuses her work.
Her current project in development is a song cycle based on the artwork of Édouard Manet — a piece that promises to further explore the bounds of concert and one-woman show. More on that project can be found here.
Somewhere along the way, Kristen became a sommelier, working in some of Manhattan's finest restaurants. That journey led to a wine label, Two Notes, co-created with Ted Nash and now in its fifth vintage. She pairs wine and song in her newsletter, The Decant.
Her expertise in wine brings with it a certain seriousness about pleasure — one that infuses everything she does, liquid or sonic.
She is based in New York City.
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