Rena Kraut is the Founder and Director of Cuban American Youth Orchestra. Ms. Kraut is an active freelance performer whose recent work includes concerts with IRIS Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota. She plays frequently with the Minnesota Orchestra, including on their historic tour to Cuba. Dr. Kraut is principal clarinetist of the Mill City Summer Opera Orchestra and has held positions with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Sarasota and Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestras.

Dr. Kraut received her D.M.A. from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Burt Hara, and she holds degrees from Rice and Northwestern Universities. A devoted educator, Dr. Kraut has taught musicians young and old for over 20 years, including beginners, college students, and retirees. She directs the summer music camps at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, is an active clinician, and coaches award-winning chamber ensembles in the Twin Cities. As an admirer of Latin American culture, she has happily co-led teenage student exchanges to Costa Rica and Argentina in addition to travels in Spain and Cuba.