The career of composer-pianist and writer Krystal J. Folkestad, nee Grant, spans from giving lecture-recitals in elementary schools of her hometown, Birmingham, Alabama, to arranging and accompanying for a musical theater club at a senior center in Brooklyn, New York. Through her experience teaching in college classrooms, after-school programs, and a homeless shelter, she loves seeing how music can build community and reinforce self-confidence. She majored in piano performance and Spanish at Vanderbilt University, where she developed her passion for producing artistic experiences. With her Ph.D. in composition from Stony Brook University, she has taught composition and music theory in Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. She has researched human trafficking and ethical fashion to write for nonprofit and social enterprise blogs. She lives with her husband and son in Birmingham, Alabama, and collaborates with artists and teachers to curate potlucks of music.
Her projects include rarely performed composers.
She performs in ethical and secondhand clothing.
She supports farms and parks.
Ars Arvole 