Dr. Emily Threinen is an Associate Professor of Music and serves as Director of Bands at the School of Music of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; she began this post in 2016. In this position, Threinen conducts the acclaimed University Wind Ensemble, guides the graduate wind band conducting program, and provides administrative leadership for all aspects of the University of Minnesota-TC Band Program. Prior to her appointment at Minnesota, Threinen served as Associate Professor, Director of Bands, and Artistic Director of Winds and Brass at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Assistant Professor, 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, recordings, and engagements with composers and new compositions are integral to her creative work. In addition to contributions in several articles, interviews, and books, Threinen has been 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 (including work in Korea, Costa Rica, Australia, Spain, Brazil, and Canada), as a guest conductor, clinician, and conference presenter. Threinen is a strong advocate for music education and is proud to serve as a Yamaha Master Educator. 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.