Collegiate Affiliation

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-TC 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 has served on the Executive Council of the Institute for Composer Diversity. In 2019, Threinen conducted 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, 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.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • Doctor of Musical Arts: Conducting, University of Michigan, 2007
  • Master of Music: Conducting, Northwestern University, 2004
  • Bachelor of Music: Double major: Clarinet Performance and K-12 Instrumental Music Education, University of Minnesota, 1999

Specialties

  • Conducting Pedagogy, Wind Band
  • Concert Art Music, Wind Band emphasis