Renée Sipes is a young passionate musician from Rochester New York currently living in the Chicagoland area. She began playing cello at the age of 10 and quickly fell in love with making music. She was introduced to orchestral playing through The Hochstein School where she was able to experience composition, improvisation, auditions, and conducting through their youth orchestra program. During high school she joined the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra which collaborated with the Rochester Philharmonic musicians as a part of their Education Department. Renée initiated a string program at her high school geared towards middle school-aged musicians. This program hosted students from multiple school districts, giving students at lower skill levels an experience similar to All-County.

Additionally the event acted as a fundraiser for her orchestra and has continued to be an annual event. Renée is anticipating her Bachelor of Music Performance from Wheaton Conservatory of Music in the spring of 2027. At Wheaton she studies under Leonardo Altino, with previous teachers including Svetlana Garitselova and Benjamin Krug. Renée enjoys teaching cello lessons and aspires to have her own studio post graduation. She recently served as a chamber music teacher assistant for Community School of the Arts, the community music school run through Wheaton College.