A professional musician and educator for the past 20 years, Dr. Rena Kraut regularly performs with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has held teaching positions at universities and colleges across the Midwest, directed educational workshops and chamber music seminars, led youth camps and competitions, and continues to maintain a private teaching studio.
In 2016, Dr. Kraut founded Cayo, a non-profit organization which seeks to bring together the people of the US and Cuba through education, cultural exchange, and performance opportunities for young musicians. Cayo has developed and executed programming in both the US and Cuba for students, citizens and teaching artists including small-group exchanges, chamber music residencies and large-scale orchestral tours. In 2019, Dr. Kraut was recognized by Musical America as one of 30 top professionals of the year for her work leading Cayo.
Dr. Kraut holds degrees from Rice and the University of Minnesota as well as degrees in both music and English from Northwestern University.