Kristen Baum’s art songs exemplify her deep connection to the synergy between poetry and music. She crafts compositions that highlight the emotive power of the human voice and the expressive capabilities of the piano, amplifying the voices of women poets who reimagine traditional narratives through a contemporary lens. By frequently selecting texts that offer fresh perspectives on familiar fairy tales, she creates a cultural landscape where girls and women of all ages can recognize their inherent value and potential.

Among her recent works are “Kitsune,” set to words by Sarah Ann Winn, which will premiere in February 2025 in NYC, and “Pinocchio’s Song,” a piece for baritone and piano based on a text by Terri Niccum, currently in progress. In August 2023, Kristen’s composition “The Girl Who Came Before,” set to a poem by Mary McMyne, premiered at the Source Song Festival’s MNSong program in Minneapolis. Inspired by Debussy’s “Apparition,” this piece, written for light lyric soprano and piano, exemplifies her ability to intertwine classical influences with modern storytelling.

“Five Songs on Poems by Sarah J. Sloat”: This song set, drawn from Sloat’s chapbook In the Voice of a Minor Saint, has not yet had a formal premiere, but three of the five songs have already premiered in the U.S.

“The Photograph and The Violin”: A trio of songs set to poems by Jude Cowan Montague, awaiting their debut performance.

Looking ahead, Kristen is developing several projects that continue to explore the intersection of music and poetic narratives:

• “Says the Forest to the Girl”: An ongoing fairytale song cycle featuring poems by Sally Rosen Kindred from her chapbook of the same name. The title song premiered virtually in July 2021 through Fresh Squeezed Opera’s Vocal Lab, and a second song, “Ravenous,” premiered at songSLAM NYC in January 2024.

• Reimagining a Romantic-Era Song Cycle: A new song cycle in development that revisits the text of a famous Romantic-era song cycle, reimagining it to be more inclusive and less gender-biased. This project seeks to honor the original’s emotional depth while offering a contemporary perspective that reflects modern values of equality and inclusivity.

Through these endeavors, Kristen continues to blend her passions for poetry and music, creating art songs that not only entertain but also inspire and empower.