Behind the Music

In 2022, Kristen was accepted into the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she received a scholarship to attend as a student in the Opera Studio. During her time abroad, she had the opportunity to sing with the AIMS Festival Orchestra at the Kunsthaus Weiz. Recent opera credits include: A Grace in Venus and Adonis at Peabody Opera Theatre, Sprite 4 in Cendrillon at Peabody Opera Theatre, Tailleferre in The New World Of Opera- four comic operettas at Shenandoah Conservatory, Agnes in Der Freischütz (scenes) at Shenandoah Conservatory, Tourières in Suor Angelica at Shenandoah Conservatory, chorus member in La Boheme at IN Series Opera, and chorus member in Orfée et Eurydice at IN Series Opera. Kristen also has a passion for concert and choral work. Some performances include as a soloist for CORO Vocal Artists at the Des Moines Choral Festival, soloist in A Night at the Opera at Shenandoah Conservatory, and a soloist in A Christmas Spectacular for the Middleburg Concert Series.

Growing up, Kristen begged her parents for dance, piano, and voice lessons. She continued private study throughout middle and high school. During this time, she participated in All-County, All-District, and All-State honors choirs. She was also the Vocal Captain of the competition Show Choir team at her high school for multiple years, which instilled in her a love of teaching and education. Kristen was consistently learning musical theatre repertoire and participated in many shows through her high school and community theatres; including the roles of Cosette in Les Miserables, The Witch in Into The Woods, and Anita in West Side Story. It was in her later high school years that she realized classical repertoire was where her heart lied and she started pursuing her dreams of going to school to study opera.

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Kristen is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is honored to be studying under the tutelage of Margaret Baroody and the world-renowned Denyce Graves-Montgomery. Kristen received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA in 2022, where she studied with Dr. David Meyer.

When Kristen is not in Baltimore, she spends time in Richmond, VA visiting her family. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, yoga, trying out new recipes, watching operas and Broadway shows, and spending time with friends. Kristen also loves to travel! She has been to numerous countries and hopes to continue traveling and exploring through her work as a performer.