Kate Mathews, who conducts the University Orchestra, is a passionate conductor, bassist and music educator. She performs with the Sioux City Symphony and other area orchestras, and she judges and conducts regional festivals and contests.
Mathews holds a B.M. in music education from the University of South Dakota and an M.M. in bass performance from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in orchestral conducting at the University of Nebraska, where she conducts the campus orchestra and teaches string methods to music education majors.