Recognized for her “velvety legato and embracing warmth of sound” (Washington Classical Review) and “lyric-mezzo of uncommon beauty” (The Washington Post,)  mezzo soprano Kristen Dubenion-Smith enjoys an active performing career in oratorio and sacred vocal chamber music, specializing in music of the medieval, renaissance and baroque eras.

 As a concert soloist, Kristen has earned recognition for her performances of the works of the high baroque, especially Bach and Handel. Highlights from recent seasons include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah  with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with The Washington Bach Consort, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with TENET. In previous seasons, she has appeared as Alto Soloist in works such as Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Praetorius' Christmas Vespers, Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with ensembles including Apollo's Fire, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Arts on Alexander, The New Dominion Chorale, The Folger Consort, and Chatham Baroque. In the summer of 2019, Ms. Dubenion-Smith attended the American Bach Soloists Academy where she was featured in Bach’s Trauerode and Mass in B Minor. She was also a 2020 (transferred to 2022 due to the pandemic) Virginia Best Adams Fellow with the Carmel Bach Festival.

Starting in the fall of 2016, Ms. Dubenion-Smith joined the Choir of Men and Boys/Girls at the Washington National Cathedral as the first woman to be offered a position in this choir. She had previously served as cantor since 2011.  In her time with the Cathedral Choir, she has sung for liturgies, commemorations, and events of national importance- most recently, the State Funerals of President George H. W. Bush and Senator John McCain, the funeral of primatologist Jane Goodall, the internment of Matthew Shepard, the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony and Prayer Service, and the 9/11 services at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

As a professional choral singer, Ms. Dubenion-Smith performs regularly with The Washington Bach Consort, Ensemble Altera, Res Facta, and the Grammy Nominated, NYC based, Clarion Choir. She also sings on the 2021 Grammy winning recording of The Prison by Ethel Smyth with The Experiential Choir and Orchestra. She can also be heard on commercial recordings with The Folger Consort, Apollo’s Fire, Cathedra, Via Veritate, and Ensemble Altera.

To keep busy during the pandemic, Ms. Dubenion-Smith started a weekly series on her YouTube channel entitled Social DistanSING. Despite specializing in early music, she spans many genres of music on her channel, featuring music by Dolly Parton, Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Enya, Henry Purcell, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Benjamin Britten, Extreme, Hildegard von Bingen, Toto, Richard Einhorn, Elise Witt, and Frideric Handel as well as commissioned arrangements of hymns and popular music, specifically for her series, by dear friend and colleague, Carter Sligh.

2026-2027 season highlights include Bach’s St. John Passion  with TENET Vocal Artists/Philadelphia Bach Collective and Mountainside Baroque, Talbot’s Path of Miracles with The Thirteen, Cozzolani’s Mass for Four Voices with Musica Spira, and Handel’s Messiah with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and Asheville Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Dubenion-Smith will also be making her debuts with Pegasus Early Music in April 2027 and  Williamsburg Baroque in June 2027.

Originally from Michigan, Ms. Dubenion-Smith attended Alma College (Bachelor of Music) before moving to Maryland to complete her studies at The Peabody Conservatory of Music (Master of Music) in Baltimore.