Dr. Rena Kraut is the Executive Director of the Cuban American Youth Orchestra, a non-profit organization which promotes US/Cuba cultural diplomacy through collaboration, performance and education; CAYO celebrated its inaugural tour in May 2019 with performances by an ensemble of 25 American and 45 Cuban student musicians in Havana and Matanzas, Cuba. Learn more at www.cayomusic.org

A professional musician and educator, Dr. Kraut is a clarinetist whose appears frequently with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, and IRIS Orchestra. She has held teaching positions at several universities and colleges in the Midwest, directs educational workshops and chamber music seminars, and maintains a private studio. 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 in both music and English. https://content.thespco.org/people/rena-kraut/