Bassoonist Mackenzie Brauns is an active performer throughout the Midwest and beyond. Mackenzie is a Fellow with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Principal Bassoon of the Evansville Philharmonic, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Mackenzie has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, West Virginia Symphony and many others.

A founding member of Cleveland Wind Trio, Mackenzie is an avid chamber musician. Cleveland Wind Trio has rapidly expanded its performance calendar across the Cleveland area and multiple states, including the National Music Festival Resonance concert series in Chestertown, Maryland and the Third Place MusicFest in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Consisting also of Adrian Gonzalez, oboe, and Nicole Martin, clarinet, Cleveland Wind Trio continuously looks to provide new and engaging chamber music experiences using an uncommon form: the reed trio.

Mackenzie has also performed as a soloist with the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra in 2015 and won prizes in the 2013 Cincinnati Three Arts Scholarship Competition and the 2011 Arapahoe Philharmonic Concerto Competition.

Mackenzie received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) under the instruction of William Winstead, and an Artist Diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Barrick Stees. Mackenzie has also attended the Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Round Top Music Festival, Colorado College Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Kent/Blossom Music Festival, Festival Napa Valley and the National Orchestral Institute.