Biography
Kristen Lawrence is a classically trained organist who writes with a modern edge, influenced by centuries of musicians from J.S. Bach to Danny Elfman.
Stephen Fortner, Executive editor of Keyboard Magazine, says: “If the Halloween Town of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas had a resident keyboardist, it would be Kristen Lawrence."
A featured organist for a symphony orchestra, Lawrence also writes music for Halloween. While researching the Halloween history and folk tunes of the British isles, Lawrence thought, "If Christmas has beautiful carols, why not Halloween?" With her clever compositions, clear soprano voice, and witty lyrics, Kristen has developed a reputation as a Halloween specialist.
Kristen has more than 60 songs written, ready to be arranged and recorded. She was commissioned to write original organ music to provide the background soundtrack for the 1926 Lon Chaney film, The Phantom of the Opera, she performed it on the oldest organ in Santa Ana.
A fond childhood memory of singing a spooky song was resurrected by Lawrence for her first album "Arachnitect," with her recording two arrangements of the American folk tune "Ghost of John." Fans call these versions "the best out there."
Her second album, "A Broom With A View," attracted a range of fans ranging from soccer moms to metal heads with her selection of spooky organ music, tales of witches soaring over the countryside, two versions of the old English "Souling Song," and a saucy vampire. Kristen's black cat Molly is a featured vocalist in "Cats in the Catacombs."
Her original musical setting of Edgar Allan Poe's masterpiece "The Raven" has won raves by serious Poe scholars and enthusiasts for being an aural storyboard of the classic poem, expressing the narrator's dark path from melancholy to despair.
Lawrence and her "Raven" music have been featured at National Endowment of the Arts-sponsored The BIG READ events, with the purpose to invite the community to appreciate the poetry and short stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Dr. Hal Poe, President of the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, calls Kristen's interpretation of Poe's famous poem ... "exquisite."
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Members:
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Sounds Like:
Danny Elfman ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"), Kate Bush, Tarja, Tori Amos, Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Florence and The Machine
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Influences:
Nightwish, Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo, J.S. Bach, Loreena McKennitt, Tori Amos, Tarja, Camille Saint-Saëns, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, In the Nursery, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Eluveite, Schandmaul, AC/DC, Hedningarna, Garmarna, Finntr
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AirPlay Direct Member Since:
09/23/11
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Profile Last Updated:
08/14/23 18:25:16