Natalia Cristina Mesa Pérez, a 2023 graduate of the Instrumental Music program at the University of Cauca, has stood out as a solo clarinetist from a very young age. This year, she won the New York International Music Competition Online (2025). She has also distinguished herself with performances alongside the Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia.

In 2018, she was selected along with other students from the University of Cauca Department of Music to participate in the Santa Catarina Music Festival (Brazil). In 2021, while in her fifth semester, she was invited as a clarinetist to the 5th UDLAP Symphonic Band Meeting 2021 in Mexico, which brought together advanced-level musicians from both national and international backgrounds.

Under the guidance of Professor Magliony Márquez, the talented graduate won the Young Soloists Competition of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia in 2024, establishing herself as one of the most promising emerging performers in the country. That same year, she received a full scholarship to pursue a Master’s in Clarinet Performance at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, United States) with Professor Ronald Samuels. There, she also won the DSO Concerto Competition in 2025, which allowed her to perform as a soloist with the university orchestra.