[1] Kirsten began writing songs and choral pieces while learning the piano as a child.
She was a vocal and piano major at Benedictine University but only began formal composition training at the age of 30.
[2] Kirsten is most notable for her works for “Composed Theatre”, which is referred by Matthias Rebstock as “the creative process and the performance of pieces that are determined by compositional strategies and, in a broader sense, by compositional thinking.”[3] Her major theatrical works include Savior (2016-2018) and QUIXOTE (2015-2017), and Colombine's Paradise Theatre (2010-2013).
Her notable instrumental compositions include Pirouette On a Moon Sliver (2011) for flute solo and Drink Me (2010) for chamber orchestra, both with elements of vocalization.
She previously served on the faculty of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University from 2015 to 2017.