Kamensek's parents immigrated from Kamnica pri Mariboru, Slovenia to the United States, eventually settling in the Louisville, Kentucky area.

Having undergone musical education from an early age, she won the Louisville Orchestra Young Artists Competition before attending Indiana University for undergraduate and graduate studies.

Kamensek received degrees in orchestral conducting and piano performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.

[3][4][5][6] Kamensek made her English National Opera (ENO) conducting debut in March 2016 with Philip Glass's Akhnaten.

[7][8][9] Kamensek has frequently collaborated with Glass[10] and conducted the 2005 Orange Mountain Music recording of the composer's Les Enfants Terribles.