Cristen Mitchell is a native of Draper, Virginia and currently lives in Christiansburg with her husband, Brandon and daughter, Anna. She is the full-time Director of Worship Arts at Blacksburg United Methodist Church in Blacksburg, VA. There she oversees the music and worship arts ministries and works with a variety of choral and instrumental ensembles in leading worship. Cristen is the founding president of The Voices of Appalachia and now serves as the Artistic Director. Previously, she served as the assistant director for the Blacksburg Children’s Chorale.
Cristen is a Doctor of Pastoral Music Candidate at Southern Methodist University, holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from James Madison University, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Radford University, and a Church Music Certificate from Virginia Wesleyan College. Cristen has traveled with her choirs to perform at venues such as Carnegie Hall, and she has been a soloist on stage at the Lincoln Center. She was the 2018 recipient of the John & Mary Virginia Foncannon Choral Conducting/Sacred Music Scholarship, and the 2019 recipient of the John & Mary Foncannon Choral Conducting/Coaching Scholarship.
