Kristen Hanna is a native of Richardson, Texas and holds a Bachelor of Music in voice performance from Southern Methodist University where she studied under Joan Heller. While studying voice, she was very active in the Meadows Opera Theatre with which she sang the role of Flora in Britten's The Turn of the Screw, Rapunzel in Simon Sargon's Let Down Your Hair, The Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas, and sang in various shows with the opera ensemble throughout the season. She also actively participated in the Meadows Chorale throughout her undergraduate studies under the direction of Alfred Calabrese and Pamela Elrod. In addition, she sang with the Meadows Wind Ensemble as well as in several masterclasses with professional conductors, singers, and composers including Fior Contino, Adam Guettel, and Carol Vaness.
 
Kristen returned to SMU in the fall of 2009 to begin pursuing a Masters in Sacred Music in Choral Conducting through the Perkins School of Theology. She is currently involved with the Seminary Singers, Young Adult Seminarians Network, and the Perkins Student Association. She is also entering the candidacy process for ordination as Deacon in the United Methodist Church. This year, she is continuing her studies at Perkins with Michael Hawn, Chris Anderson, and Pamela Elrod.
 
Prior to coming to Highland Park, Kristen served as the music ministry intern at Oak Lawn United Methodist where she instigated a series of Taize services and directed the children's choir.