Katarina Kenney, 17, is a Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians, and currently studies cello with Hans Jørgen Jensen. Katarina has appeared as a soloist with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Middleton Community Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.

Some of her music accolades include first prize winner of the 2026 DePaul National Concerto Competition for Young Performers, 2025 Milwaukee Symphony Stars of Tomorrow Competition, 2024 Madison Symphony Bolz Final Forte Competition, 2024 Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition, 2023 & 2022 WYSO Youth Competitions, and the 2022 Madison
Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Competition. A compassionate chamber musician, Katarina recently won the Grand Prize at the 2026 A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Tikaani Quartet. With previous quartets, she won the Gold, Silver, and BIPOC awards at the 2023 and 2024 Saint Paul String Quartet Competitions.

As a soloist and chamber musician, she has been featured on PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio, WPR’s Midday Classics, and Chicago’s WFMT Introductions. She has had the honor of playing in masterclasses for Christine Lee, Blaise Déjardin, Peter Stumpf, Sterling Elliott, Mark Kosower, Richard Aaron, Hannah Roberts, Astrid Schween, and Clive Greensmith, among others. Katarina has participated in the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Domaine Forget, Center Stage Strings, Vivace International Music Festival, and Ascent International Cello Festival, and will spend this summer at Meadowmount and the NEC Summer Chamber Music Young Artist Program.