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 multicultural 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 Richmond, Virginia, where she creates an oasis of inclusivity within classical music by collaborating with performers and teachers to curate repertoire by underrepresented composers.
Her projects include underrepresented composers.
She performs in zero-waste dresses and fair-trade jewelry.
She supports social enterprises and justice.
Ars Arvole 