About the Artist

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Praised for her “warm alto sound” and voice of “sweet clarity,” mezzo-soprano Kristen Dubenion-Smith enjoys an active performing career in oratorio, opera and recital, particularly  specializing in music of the medieval, renaissance and baroque eras.

Recent engagements include performances with Cathedra, NYS Baroque, the Bach Sinfonia, Chantry, The Evolution Contemporary Music Series, Vivre Musicale, Eya Medieval Ensemble, the Catacoustic Consort of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, Magnificat of San Francisco, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Exhibition, the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, the Washington Early Music Festival, the Bach and Baroque Ensemble of Pittsburgh, the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble and the Peabody Consort.

Ms. Dubenion-Smith’s operatic career spans more than a dozen opera roles performed throughout the United States. Some of her more notable roles have included Endimione in La Calisto, Hecuba in La Didone and Cupid in Venus and Adonis with American Opera Theater, Humility in Ordo Virtutum with the Peabody Early Music Department, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Peabody Opera Outreach and La Baronne in Chérubin with New Jersey Opera Theater.

Ms. Dubenion-Smith also has a keen interest in contemporary music. She has had  the privilege to work with The Evolution Contemporary Music Series and perform David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize winning piece The Little Match Girl Passion under the direction of Judah Adashi. Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun wrote of the performance: “The performance, effectively conducted by Adashi, featured soprano Elizabeth Hungerford, alto Kristen Dubenion-Smith, tenor Lee Mills and bass Michael Droettboom. These were not typical classical-sounding singers; they had a wonderfully natural sound and style, which enabled them to communicate the texts all the more compellingly. No wonder the concert room was so still and quiet throughout the performance (save for the inevitable cell phone). “The Little Match Girl Passion” proved to be quite the spell-binder. It’s still haunting me the morning after.” Tim Smith subsequently named this mesmerizing performance as one of his top ten favorite performances of 2010 in The Baltimore Sun.

Originally from Michigan, Ms. Dubenion-Smith graduated from Alma College before moving to Baltimore to complete her studies in voice at the Peabody Institute. Still residing in Baltimore, in 2010, Kristen co-founded the new medieval trio, Eya, alongside sopranos Allison Mondel and Elizabeth Hungerford. Eya is a unique ensemble seeking to refresh and invigorate the interpretation and performance of medieval music for women. You can learn more about Eya at www.eyaensemble.com

2011-2012 engagements include: Concerts with the Washington Bach Consort, The Folger Consort, Eya Medieval Ensemble, Chantry, The Susquehanna Valley Chorale, The Evolution Contemporary Music Series, The Maryland Choral Society, The Handel Choir of Baltimore, Cathedra of the Washington National Cathedral and a tour from Washington D.C. to Tampa Florida with the Countertop Ensemble.