Sonia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance and Economics from the University of Notre Dame. She served as Principal Clarinetist for six years in the University of Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra (NDSO) where she performed Weber’s Concertino as the winner of the orchestra’s concerto competition. Prior to her decision to attend Notre Dame, Sonia won a full tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a music education scholarship to Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Sonia studied with Christopher French and attended training at the Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts and Birch Creek in Door County, Wisconsin. Her orchestral pursuits have also taken her on tour to Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic where she performed Mvt I of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto as a soloist with NDSO. While pursuing her Master’s in Global Affairs at Notre Dame, she was consistently hired as a doubler (playing clarinet, saxophone, and flute) for musicals and shows including Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, The Magic Flute, and more. 

In addition to playing clarinet, Sonia has music directed college-level productions of Grease, The Wedding Singer, and the Revue (a cabaret-style assortment of musical numbers) during which she led rehearsals with the band and did vocal coaching with the actors. She also spent two summers as a middle and high school band camp counselor and has taught clarinet and voice to students of varying levels and ages. 

After living in Chile on a Fulbright scholarship in education research, Sonia moved to Berkeley, California in June 2021 where she now pursues a career in music and social sector consulting. She has freelanced in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Napa, Oakland, and Berkeley and served as principal and second clarinet with the University of California-Berkeley Symphony Orchestra for a year and a half before focusing on other non-classical musical pursuits. With over eight years of vocal training including individual lessons, choir, acapella, and music theater, Sonia continues to sing with various groups around the California Bay Area both professionally and for fun.