Young Huntington Singer-Songwriter Draws National Attention, Accolades

Kirsten Maxwell of Huntington has been named a winner of the 2016 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition after showcasing her talents, along with 12 other finalists, during the annual festival in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 16.  As one of three winners, Kirsten received a cash prize and has been invited to perform on the festival’s main stage next January.

This is just the latest in a series of accolades that the versatile 23 year-old vocalist, guitarist and songwriter –- who has quickly become a recognized fixture on the Long Island singer-songwriter scene — has received in recent months.  Last year, she was the first-place winner in a contest sponsored by the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) and had the pleasure of opening a concert there for Michal Johnson (“Bluer Than Blue”). She also earned a coveted slot in the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ showcase at the 2015 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference that took place in Kerhonkson, NY last November.  Last fall, Kirsten also drew a standing room only crowd to the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room, where she and Annika Bennett, another young singer-songwriter, showcased their talents as part of the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series. Kirsten will present a free concert at the Huntington Public Library on Friday evening, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. She also shares a bill with Cathy Kreger, another Huntington-based singer-songwriter, at the Our Times Coffeehouse at the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island in Garden City on Friday night, Feb. 19.

Here’s a link to a video of Kirsten performing “Crimson,” the title track of her debut CD, last fall in Providence, RI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL3dnAt-Afw

Kirsten’s stunningly pure voice has drawn comparisons to the likes of Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell and is evocative of the 1960s folk scene. “I never thought I’d ever hear a voice as angelic and mesmerizing as I did when I first started listening to Joan Baez some 50 years ago, but then I heard the voice, the songs and melodies of Kirsten Maxwell,” says Jon Stein, host of Hootenanny Café on WTBQ-FM in Orange County, NY. Stein will interview and spotlight Kirsten on his show on Sunday, Feb. 28 that airs at 9 p.m. and will also stream online at www.wtbq.com and be archived at www.talentconnections.com.

Kirsten, a Huntington High School graduate, who holds a BA in Creative Writing from SUNY Geneseo, has been exercising her passion and writing skills since composing her first song at age 12. Last year, she independently released her debut album and is currently promoting it to folk and other radio programmers across the country and beyond. Entitled Crimson, the album is available as a CD and a download at her website (kirstenmaxwell.com) and at CDBaby.com. Crimson is Kirsten’s unique look at lost or unrequited love. Each of its 11 songs is a story unto itself that reveals the emotional driftwood of relationships run aground. “It was love at first listen,” says Joltin Joe Pszonek, host of Radio Nowhere on WMSC-FM in Montclair, NJ, who first heard Kirsten perform live during a Borderline Folk Music Club Picnic in Rockland County, NY last summer.

Sharing his sentiments, Artie Martello, who produces and hosts a Mostly Folk podcast from upstate Halcottsville, NY, says: “Her exceptional vocal range, lilting melodies and heartfelt performance is the perfect match for her songs. Crimson will take you on a journey through familiar moments in life and have you nodding your head in agreement. The best part is that this is only the beginning.” Martello’s interview with Kirsten will air on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7 a.m. and can be heard online at http://mostlyfolk.org/.

John Platt, host of Sunday Supper on WFUV 90.7 FM in the Bronx, also is impressed with Kirsten’s abilities and will feature her in his monthly “On Your Radar” showcase at Rockwood Music Hall on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Tuesday night, March 8.

Other upcoming area appearances of note include The Song Box house concert series in Seaford on Saturday, April 30 (during which she shares the bill with Annie Mark, another Huntington area singer-songwriter. The two artists work during the day at TK’s Galley, a restaurant in Halesite] and The Eclectic Café in Bay Shore on Saturday, May 14 (during which she’ll swap songs with nationally touring singer-songwriters Rachael Kilgour and Matt Nakoa).

“It is exciting to return to your home town after college and connect with it in a new way,” says Kirsten. “My days at Huntington High School were some of the best, but I did not identify with the community until I found the folk music scene on Long Island. The musical community here is powerful, and fellow musicians and music lovers are the reason I have made it this far doing what I love.”

Photo Credits:

Photos of Kirsten Maxwell by Ken Farrell