Northwest High School Honor Band

Dr. Emily Threinen

Emily Threinen is an Associate Professor of Music and serves as Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota School of Music in the Twin Cities. In this position, she conducts the acclaimed University Wind Ensemble, guides the graduate wind band conducting program, assists in undergraduate conducting, and provides administrative leadership for all aspects of the University of Minnesota Band Program.

Prior to her position here, Threinen served as Director of Bands and Artistic Director of Winds and Brass at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Director of Bands at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia; Director of the Duke University Wind Symphony in Durham, North Carolina; Director of the Concordia University Wind Ensemble in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Conductor of the Dodworth Saxhorn Band in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Director of Bands and Instrumental Music at Harding High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she received the Outstanding Teacher Award.

Threinen consistently works with composers, arrangers, and performing artists of varied disciplines. Residencies and projects with composers are integral to her creative work. Threinen is published in multiple volumes of the GIA Teaching Music Through Performance in Band book series, where she has been recognized as a strong scholarly contributor. She is active, across the nation and abroad (appearances in Australia, Spain, Brazil, and Canada), as a guest conductor, clinician, and conference presenter.

A strong advocate for music education, Threinen is a proud Yamaha Master Educator and serves on the Executive Council of the Institute for Composer Diversity. In 2019, Threinen served as the conductor for the NAfME All-National Concert Band at the National Conference in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, she is an active member of these organizations: American Bandmasters Association (ABA), World Association for Symphonic Band and Ensembles (WASBE), College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), Big Ten Band Directors Association (currently serving as President), National Band Association (NBA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Pi Kappa Lambda and Kappa Kappa Psi as an honorary member.

Threinen is a native of Minnesota and is a proud alumna of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Class of 1999: Bachelor of Music degrees in clarinet performance and K-12 music education.

Dr. Julia Baumanis

Dr. Julia Baumanis is the Assistant Director of Bands at Rutgers University. Her duties include serving as the Assistant Director of the Marching Scarlet Knights, Director of Pep Bands, conducting concert ensembles, and teaching courses in instrumental music. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Baumanis served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Central Missouri. Dr. Baumanis has also served within the music education community as Multicultural Chair for the Missouri Music Educators Association and on the editorial and design team for The Woman Conductor, the official publication for Women Band Directors International.

A graduate of Florida State University’s College of Music, Dr. Baumanis received her bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education, her master’s degree in instrumental conducting, and her PhD in music education and instrumental conducting. She previously taught public school in south Florida as the Associate Director of Bands and Orchestras at J.P. Taravella High School and the Director of Orchestras at Ramblewood Middle School.

An active performer, educator, and researcher, Dr. Baumanis has presented her research nationally, including at the NAfME Research Symposium, the CBDNA National Conference, FMEA, MMEA, IMEA, and the Desert Skies Music Education Research Symposium. Most recently, her research has focused on developing a conductor’s baton that records data collected from a conductor’s expressive gestures. She hopes to implement this technology in the conducting classroom as a technological tool to assist beginning conductors in developing their craft.