Thank You to Our Distinguished Judges
Matthew Herren Matthew Herren was appointed Executive Director of SoNA in 2014, after serving as SoNA’ s Orchestra Personnel Manager and Associate Principal Cello. He has over twenty years of experience in the classical music industry as a performer and arts administrator. He previously served as Operations Manager of the Helicon Foundation, of New York, NY, which presents an annual subscription series of chamber music concerts. As a member of The New York Chamber Soloists and Trio Fedele, Matthew toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, with performances at major venues including Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, The National Gallery in Washington, and Philadelphia ' s Academy of Music. With Orchestra of St. Luke’ s at Carnegie Hall, Matthew has played and recorded, often as principal cello, under many of today ' s most distinguished conductors, including James Conlon, James Levine, Roger Norrington, André Previn, Simon Rattle, Gerard Schwarz, and Michael Stern. In the world of popular music, Matthew has performed with Metallica, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Vanessa Williams, among others. He has held teaching positions at Pittsburg State University and Cottey College, and was an officer of The Lawrence, Kansas Cultural Arts Commission. Matthew received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School.
Catalina Ortega A native of Colombia, Catalina Ortega is a Flute instructor at the University of Arkansas, the Suzuki Music School of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Community Music School. She plays with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra and Fayetteville Opera. In addition to teaching, Ms. Ortega has performed in some of the major auditoriums in Colombia as a soloist and touring with chamber music ensembles. She has served Flute / Piccolo player for the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Flute player of the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra( Colombia) for several years. She has appeared as a soloist with the University of Arkansas Campus Band. She holds a Master Degree in Music Performance and a Certificate in Advanced Instrumental Performance in Flute from the University of Arkansas, as well as a B. A in Flute Music Performance from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia