Kristen Lawrence
Classically trained pipe organist Kristen Lawrence has been called the Queen of Halloween for writing and producing elegant, fun, and melodic music for the Halloween season—but enjoyed all year by fans.
Rue Morgue Magazine’s music editor described Lawrence's music this way: "With sweeping string arrangements, handsome lyrics and layers of her own graceful voice, Lawrence spins ethereal tales with a balance of macabre elements and kid-friendly whimsy ... that give her creations an instantly classic, fun-for-all-ages feel."
Lawrence’s music and lyrics are unique and eclectic, colored by the diversified influences of Bach, Tori Amos, Loreena McKennitt, Elfman & Bartek, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Nightwish. Kristen incorporates these folk, classical, and rock genres to create her Halloween Carols.™ If Christmas has its carols, why not Halloween!
In addition to her original compositions, Lawrence has researched traditional folk songs and arranged them for organ. Her two versions of the English “Souling Song†are based on the older roots of Halloween traditions—one from pagan Samhain and the other from the Christian tradition of soul cakes that evolved into trick-or-treating. Her two versions of the American folk tune “Ghost of John†are loved by kids and their parents who sang it in grade school. Because of this research, Kristen was asked to write about the music of Halloween for Halloween history expert Lesley Bannatyne’s book, Halloween Nation: Behind the Scenes of America’s Fright Night.
An accomplished musician, she has been guest organist for Halloween Spooktaculars as well as many of Pacific Symphony’s family programs, writing an accompanying Jurassic Park organ score for their Dinosaurs! program to highlight the 4,322-pipe “monster†concert organ. Kristen was also commissioned to compose organ music to accompany the Lon Chaney silent film classic, The Phantom of the Opera, playing her counterpointed themes live on the oldest pipe organ in Orange County. Her musical setting of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven†for strings and organ reflects her serious analysis of Poe’s famous poem and has been called “exquisite†by Poe scholars. It has been featured for the National Endowment of the Arts’ THE BIG READ: Short Stories and Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
A Keyboard Magazine review, reporting about Lawrence’s elegant use of pipe organ, harpsichord, piano, and vocals in her Halloween carols, foretold a spooky coincidence by stating, “If the Halloween Town of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas had a resident keyboardist, it would be Kristen Lawrence.†Who would have guessed that the planets would align so that Steve Bartek—orchestrator for Nightmare and other Danny Elfman film music—would be playing guitar with Kristen’s latest music projects! Spooky good, indeed!
Some of these most recent songs show the “rock†side of Kristen, and feature special guest performers Steve Bartek (Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo), John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Jeff Friedl (Devo, A Perfect Circle), MB Gordy (Doobie Brothers), Monte Pittman (Madonna) and other magical musicians.
Rue Morgue Magazine’s music editor described Lawrence's music this way: "With sweeping string arrangements, handsome lyrics and layers of her own graceful voice, Lawrence spins ethereal tales with a balance of macabre elements and kid-friendly whimsy ... that give her creations an instantly classic, fun-for-all-ages feel."
Lawrence’s music and lyrics are unique and eclectic, colored by the diversified influences of Bach, Tori Amos, Loreena McKennitt, Elfman & Bartek, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Nightwish. Kristen incorporates these folk, classical, and rock genres to create her Halloween Carols.™ If Christmas has its carols, why not Halloween!
In addition to her original compositions, Lawrence has researched traditional folk songs and arranged them for organ. Her two versions of the English “Souling Song†are based on the older roots of Halloween traditions—one from pagan Samhain and the other from the Christian tradition of soul cakes that evolved into trick-or-treating. Her two versions of the American folk tune “Ghost of John†are loved by kids and their parents who sang it in grade school. Because of this research, Kristen was asked to write about the music of Halloween for Halloween history expert Lesley Bannatyne’s book, Halloween Nation: Behind the Scenes of America’s Fright Night.
An accomplished musician, she has been guest organist for Halloween Spooktaculars as well as many of Pacific Symphony’s family programs, writing an accompanying Jurassic Park organ score for their Dinosaurs! program to highlight the 4,322-pipe “monster†concert organ. Kristen was also commissioned to compose organ music to accompany the Lon Chaney silent film classic, The Phantom of the Opera, playing her counterpointed themes live on the oldest pipe organ in Orange County. Her musical setting of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven†for strings and organ reflects her serious analysis of Poe’s famous poem and has been called “exquisite†by Poe scholars. It has been featured for the National Endowment of the Arts’ THE BIG READ: Short Stories and Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
A Keyboard Magazine review, reporting about Lawrence’s elegant use of pipe organ, harpsichord, piano, and vocals in her Halloween carols, foretold a spooky coincidence by stating, “If the Halloween Town of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas had a resident keyboardist, it would be Kristen Lawrence.†Who would have guessed that the planets would align so that Steve Bartek—orchestrator for Nightmare and other Danny Elfman film music—would be playing guitar with Kristen’s latest music projects! Spooky good, indeed!
Some of these most recent songs show the “rock†side of Kristen, and feature special guest performers Steve Bartek (Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo), John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Jeff Friedl (Devo, A Perfect Circle), MB Gordy (Doobie Brothers), Monte Pittman (Madonna) and other magical musicians.