Principal French Horn

Michelle McQuade Dewhirst

Michelle McQuade Dewhirst received a Bachelor’s degree in music education and horn performance from Ithaca College and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in music composition at the University of Chicago. As an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, she teaches courses in music theory, music history, composition, horn, and popular music. Her compositions have been performed at numerous festivals and conferences, including a residency as an Associate Artist at the Atlantic Center of the Arts, and performances by such ensembles as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Pacifica String Quartet, eighth blackbird and the New York Miniaturist Ensemble, as well as internationally acclaimed performers Michael Hall (viola) and Joby Burgess (percussion). Ms. Dewhirst is a founding member of a very small consortium, an ensemble dedicated to the performance of “miniatures” that last one minute or less or that consist of one hundred or fewer notes. In September of 2014, she was a finalist in the Iron Composer competition, in which she placed second overall and took home the “Audience Choice” award.

An active performer, Ms. Dewhirst performed a solo “15 Minutes of Fame” recital on the Composer’s Voice concert series in New York in March of 2012. She has performed with the Manitowoc Symphony since the fall of 2012 and is an active freelancer and recitalist. She even dabbles in jazz improvisation with the “gypsy jazz” group, Gypsy Trip.