Class: 2024
Jeileen Sotero Pérez
Jeileen M. Sotero is a Puerto Rican clarinetist and educator, born on August 22, 1999, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. She studied at the Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, where she honed her musical skills with three prominent clarinetists: Ricardo Mariani, Cristina Rodríguez, and Emmanuel Díaz. This led Sotero to audition for the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music in 2019 and study under Kathleen Jones. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Clarinet Performance in 2024 and was accepted into the Teacher Certification program that same year, culminating in her certification from the Department of Education in July 2026.
During her undergraduate studies, Sotero was elected Student Council President for three consecutive years, where she advocated for student rights in numerous administrative forums. In her training as a clarinetist in major ensembles, she distinguished herself on auxiliary instruments of the clarinet family, such as alto and bass clarinet.
In addition to her work as a performer and educator, Sotero developed a strong interest in conducting. Under the mentorship of maestro and conductor Rafael Enrique Irizarry, she conducted several pieces with the Concert Band of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. These pieces served as a foundation for various other works. workshops of directing where Sotero participated in the summer of 2026. In these workshops worked with the faculty of University of Austin, Texas – Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music with teacher Jerry Junkin and guest teacher Damon Talley, where he focused on the art of Wind Conducting. For the Orchestral Conducting, participated in the program Masterclasses with Donald Schleicher in New York City. However, prior to these programs, Sotero participated in two editions of Directing Seminars at the Teatro Ideal in Yauco, Puerto Rico, and in the first edition of Conducting Day at the Conservatory of Music with the teacher and director Roselín Pabón.
She currently works at a public school teaching general music and at a private academy where she offers clarinet, beginner piano, music theory, and solfège lessons. Her next aspirations are to pursue a Master's degree in Conducting and work at a school where she can conduct and inspire students through ensembles in the same way her teachers inspired her.
Sotero is currently the Vice President of the Alumni Association of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
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