Huntington Artist Wins Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition

A young singer from Huntington was recently named the winner of the 2016 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition after showcasing her talents in the annual festival in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 16.

Kristen Maxwell , who beat out 12 other finalists, received a cash prize and has been invited to perform on the festival’s main stage next January.

The 23-year-old singer, guitarist and songwriter has received many accolades in the past year:

• Last year, she was the first-place winner in a contest sponsored by the Rhode Island Songwriters Association and opened a concert there for Michael Johnson (“Bluer Than Blue”).
• She 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, she drew a standing room only crowd to the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room, where she and another young singer showcased their talents as part of the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s monthly Hard Luck Café series.

Watch Kristen perform here:

Kristen is a Huntington High School graduate who holds a BA in Creative Writing from SUNY Geneseo. She independently released her debut album last year and is currently promoting it to folk and other radio programmers across the country. Her album is titled, “Crimson,” and it is available on her website and at CDBaby.com.

Kirsten will present a free concert at the Huntington Public Library on Friday, 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, Feb. 19.

Photos of Kirsten Maxwell by Ken Farrell, CD cover self-portrait by Kirsten Maxwell