About this Artist

Singer, songwriter, and composer Kristen Toedtman exudes warmth and excellence on stage, whether in front of an orchestra or behind her guitar. Known for her collaborative spirit and prowess with tight harmonies, she has shared the stage as soloist or in small ensemble with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philip Glass Ensemble, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, Musica Angelica, Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Britt Festival Orchestra, Corona del Mar Festival Orchestra, and Baltimore Concert Artists. She is a long-time singer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, founding member of the Baltimore Afrobeat Society, and frequent collaborator with singer-songwriters Moira Smiley, Brendan Hines, and David Poe. 

As a bandleader and songwriter, Kristen has played the Bootleg Theater and Hotel Café in Los Angeles, Pianos and Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, and a variety of venues in between. She has two self-released records of original material, available on all online platforms as well as on her website. She has recorded for the Harmonia Mundi and Decca labels and sung on the soundtracks of Frozen, Minions, Despicable Me 3, Godzilla, and others. In close collaboration with artist Lita Albuquerque, Kristen has worked to compose live soundscapes for various interactive installations, and she composes music for the theater, most regularly for the annual hit show in Los Angeles, the Very Janky Christmas Spectacular, which she music directs.  

In addition to her own singing, Kristen is passionate about inspiring others to sing. She directs the Community Chorus at Peabody in Baltimore, has worked with Street Symphony and Urban Voices Project (singers who live and work on Skid Row in L.A.), and, most recently, led singers at a health clinic in the Dominican Republic.