The New York-based artist Kristen Mather de Andrade‘s career has been defined by immersing herself in a broad array of musical worlds and cultures, from the classical canon to world music, and beyond.

Kristen has enjoyed a career of prime accolades and acclaim within her chosen musical paths, but these days music feels as vital as ever as she explores being a solo artist. This fresh outlet of releasing her own recorded music has been transformative, and Kristen is already preparing for the release of her sophomore album: As Bright As The Skies Are Blue.

Meeting her husband in 2011 brought her closer to the Brazilian music tradition, after which she decided to learn Portuguese by ear through song. Her innate feel for the music and its culture peaked with a Facebook livestream event in which Kristen performed a Brazilian repertoire to a Brazilian audience. Here, her song selection showed a reverence for the tradition in that it favored lesser known composers and instrumentalists. This performance led to an interview which was shared in the Brazilian Global News, G1. Since 2007, Kristen has been with West Point’s Army Special Band, and has been the principal clarinetist and soloist since 2012.

Kristen is the clarinetist, co-founder and artistic director of Vent Nouveau, an ensemble that performs and records exciting material for winds and brass, as well as the mixed instrumentation group, Quintette 7 which recorded a full-length CD featuring music by the composer Raymond Scott. After years of being a closeted singer, Kristen made her vocal debut on the NPR game show Says You! during its 2006 tour singing, “My Foolish Heart, Take the A Train,” and “You Belong to Me.” Since this transformative performance, Kristen has brought her voice to various projects along with her clarinet playing.