After moving around the country as a child in a Navy household, she grew up in Hayward, California. Her parents were choir singers and listened to some jazz at home, especially Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck. She started clarinet at age 9 and discovered the saxophone in high school after hearing the high school jazz band. One student at H.H.S., Guido Fazio, was very inspiring, and eventually became her teacher.

Kris attended college at U.C. Davis and University of Guam before ending up at San Jose State to major in jazz. There she met her husband, guitarist Scott Sorkin, as well as many musicians still performing around the Bay Area and beyond. She taught school band in the area for 10 years and joined the Nuclear Whales in 1991. Kris left full-time teaching when her touring schedule got busy, but keeps an active schedule of private teaching at present.

She has performed with many well-known artists, including the Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, Manhattan Transfer, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Steve Turre, Kevin Mahogany, Jon Faddis, Michel LeGrand, the San Jose Symphony, and the San Francisco Production Beach Blanket Babylon.

She also performed the role of Ginger the saxophone player in The1940’s Radio Hour with San Jose Repertory Theater in 1988 and 1994. Besides her solo album, “Intention”, she has recorded with various jazz and pop artists, including the jazz group Burning Bridges, jazz artists Ed Johnson, Wally Schnalle, John Worley, Tim Volpicella, Jennifer Scott and Gail Dobson and four albums with The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra.

Her touring schedule has included performances across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia with the Nuclear Whales and others.

Kristen is the saxophone instructor at Santa Clara University, is on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and is the Education Consultant for the San Jose Jazz Society.