Katarina Kenney, 16, is a Richard D. Colburn Scholarship for Artistic Excellence Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She currently studies cello with Hans Jørgen Jensen. Other principal teachers have included Cornelia Watkins and Flora Van Wormer. Katarina made her solo orchestral debut at the age of 13 in a side by side performance with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and WYSO Philharmonia, and has since performed with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, Middleton Community Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Katarina was the first prize winner of the 2025 Milwaukee Symphony Stars of Tomorrow Competition, 2024 Madison Symphony Bolz Final Forte Competition, 2024 Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition, 2023 WYSO Youth Competition, 2022 WYSO Philharmonia Competition, 2022 Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Competition, and second prize junior division winner of the 2022 Center Stage Strings Young Artist Solo Competition. As a member of the Elysian Quartet, her group won the gold medal, BIPOC performance award, and audience prize at the 2024 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, received high honors at the 2024 Rembrandt Chamber Competition, and were quarterfinalists in the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Katarina also won the silver medal and the BIPOC performance award in the 2023 SPSQC as a member of the Pondrom Quartet, and received honorable mention at the 2023 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition. Katarina has had the honor of playing in masterclasses for Emmanuelle Bertrand, Caroline Stinson, Christine Lee, Blaise Déjardin, Peter Stumpf, Sterling Elliott, Mark Kosower, Richard Aaron, Hannah Roberts, Astrid Schween, and Clive Greensmith, among others. As a chamber musician and soloist, she has been featured on PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio, WPR’s Midday Classics, and Chicago’s WFMT Introductions. Katarina is a junior at Madison Country Day School, where she enjoys participating in Science Olympiad, Forensics, Community Outreach, and the Social Activism and Awareness Club. In addition, she is in her ninth season with the Madison Youth Choirs, and has enjoyed her summers at the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Domaine Forget de Charlevoix International Music and Dance Academy, Center Stage Strings, Vivace International Music Festival, and Ascent International Cello Festival.