Kristen Toedtman is a Song Carrier for our time. Trained in conservatories to interpret songs from the Renaissance to Bel Canto opera to modern compositions, she has performed solo and with ensembles at Carnegie Hall, Davies Hall (SF), Disney Hall (LA) and the Hollywood Bowl with the New World Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others. She is a long time singer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has sung on the soundtracks of Frozen, Minions, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Godzilla and others. She has led choirs at rallies and on Skid Row (CeaseFire Baltimore, Midnight Mission and Downtown Women’s Center of LA) and teaches workshops on harmony singing and connecting with Divine Source through singing. As Director of the Community Chorus of Peabody, she brought the choir through the pandemic, emerging to at last share the stage with Marin Alsop and the BSO in a new realization of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony as a part of the Global Ode to Joy project. For years, Kristen toured with her own band and choir singing original songs and promoting her recordings across the US. While maintaining her classical and recording career, Kristen pivoted away from witty heartbreak songs to better consider the impact of singing and to embody the adage “Singing is praying twice.” Now she is dedicated to inner exploration to free her own voice, sharing in that exploration with others and using her music to support sacred spaces in ceremonies of all types.
Kristen specializes in creating safe spaces for singing. Her warmth and unrivaled enthusiasm for the pleasures of group singing help even the shyest singer step into the cool waters of harmony. She carries her blend of collected “Pocket Songs” with her wherever she goes: songs that are fun to learn, uplifting in spirit and infectiously catchy.