Kristen Baum is a composer of film scores, art songs and solo piano works.

She has composed over 40 film scores for filmmakers in Los Angeles and around the world. She often incorporates field recordings into her film music, blending found sounds she has recorded with traditional instruments and software synths to create custom hybrid scores. She has a solo piano track in the Hughes Brothers feature film, The Book of Eli. She orchestrated on the documentary Tab Hunger Confidential, the 2011 film Priest, and the film When in Rome.

Kristen is a Sundance Composers Lab Fellow. At the Lab, she studied with mentors Alan Silvestri, Harry Gregson-Williams, Ed Shearmur, Christopher Young, and George S. Clinton. She has worked closely with Christopher Young and carries his influence forward in her composing and collaborative approach.

Her further professional development includes Conducting Workshops at BMI with Lucas Richmond, and studying film scoring at the Buddy Baker Film Scoring Workshop. She has worked closely with Christopher Young and carries his influence forward in her composing and collaborative approach.

She holds a Master of Music in Theory and Composition from Youngstown State University. Her Baccalaureate is in Music with an emphasis on Piano Performance from Northern Michigan University.

Kristen thrives in collaboration. She enjoys working with creatives on a broad range of projects. She frequently collaborates on diverse film and live theater projects, and particularly welcomes collaborations in the drama and fantasy genres.

She is a frequent contributor of articles about film composing for Student Filmmakers Magazine. She speaks at colleges and universities and participates on panels about film composing and the creative process. She also spends time speaking with girls at career explorations and inspiration events for Girl Scouts of Orange County.

Contact her to discuss custom original scores or commissioning concert music.