- My name is Katarina Kenney.
I'm a 15-year-old cellist
and I'm a freshman at Madison Country Day School.
I've been playing since I was three and a half.
Music has always run through my house.
- Mom: Very good! - Katarina: My mom plays violin,
my dad plays a little bit of double bass,
and my sister plays violin.
My first recital was actually with her,
playing "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Music has brought us together.
I feel really honored to have such a close relationship.
- Like, literally.
Uh-huh, so [vocalizing]...
- Katarina: I study with Cornelia Watkins.
- Yeah! - Katarina: She helps me
to dive deep into figuring out what I want to express,
while also finding a balance
between what the composer really wants.
- Are you aware of where the accents are in this section?
- Katarina: She doesn't let me get away with anything.
But she's very supportive.
- Good; now let's keep going.
That sounded beautiful.
- Katarina: I've been a part of the Madison Youth Choirs
for eight seasons now.
When I sing, I feel like I am the instrument.
Each concert season, there's a theme.
William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson,
the Madison Youth Choir introduced me to those poets.
I love to read and write.
I love being able to, like, bring my ideas to life
and to express my emotions, just like I do with my cello.
Reading just lets me escape from the real world
and use the creative part of my mind.
I'm a part of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy.
We go down every Saturday.
It requires a lot of effort from the whole group.
And I feel like my quartet has really developed a relationship,
and we're able to work together
and bring all of our ideas together to create music.
[opening note] I have had the experience
of playing with the Madison Symphony multiple times.
I got to play with them again this past spring,
playing the first two movements of Elgar.
So it'll be super exciting to be able to play the last movement.
Elgar has always been one of my dream pieces.
It has a very wide palette of colors
that you can use with your bow.
Some of the more lyrical and dancing melodies
is reflecting his past with his wife.
When you practice at home, you're, like,
more focused on your individual growth as a musician.
But when you finally get to solo with an orchestra like MSO,
it's really special
and you get to bring all of your hard work to life.
[audience applauding]