Karenia Garrido is a professional clarinetist and bass clarinetist with extensive orchestral experience in both Cuba and the United States. She is an honor graduate of the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana, Cuba. Early in her career she joined the Holguin Symphony Orchestra, where she was appointed Principal Clarinet in 2004 and performed as a featured soloist during the 2005–2006 seasons, presenting Carl María von Weber’s Clarinet Concertos No. 1 and No. 2.
From 2010 to 2012, Karenia performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, participating in major international events including the World Symphony Festival in Moscow and the International Ballet Festival of Havana. During this period she also took part in the orchestra’s first United States tour, performing more than 22 concerts at universities and major venues including the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Symphony Hall in Allentown, Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx, and the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.
After moving to Houston, she performed with the Houston Latin-American Philharmonic from 2013 to 2017 and is currently a member of the Houston Repertoire Ballet Orchestra. Her international performance experience informs her teaching and allows her to bring a deep understanding of orchestral performance and musicianship to her students.