About the Director

As a native of Greenville, South Carolina, Julie had many musical opportunities growing up. She started playing violin at age 11 and she later graduated from Greenville Senior High School and the Fine Arts Center where she studied chamber music, music theory and history. She performed in the Greenville County Youth Orchestra where, during her senior year, she won the concerto competition and performed the last movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the orchestra.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Music Education as well as a Performance Certificate in Violin. She studied under Dr. William Terwilliger and Mr. Ryan Kho, as well as played with the USC Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra all four years. She taught in the USC String Project, under the direction of Dr. Gail Barnes. She has been an active member of the American String Teacher Association and served as USC’s Chapter President her senior year.

After graduating college she taught in the New Haven Public Schools while her husband, Thomas, attended Yale University. She worked with Yale’s teaching artists and the Linden String Quartet in an after-school program designed for her school, taught for 2 years in the Morse Summer Music Academy led by Michael Yaffe, Associate Dean of the Yale School of Music, and was able to have her students perform for Yale professors as well as celebrities. While in New Haven, she played in the New Haven Chamber Orchestra.

Julie, Thomas and their little boy, Wilson, moved to Nashville in 2011 where they joined Covenant Presbyterian Church. Julie taught violin, viola, and cello in The Covenant School Fine Arts Enrichment Academy and in Covenant Conservatory, a ministry that offers private lessons, group strings classes, and a music theory and history class. She served as the Youth and Children’s Choir Coordinator at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nashville and led the Covenant Strings.

She studied baroque violin under Rebecca Cole had the opportunity to work with Music City Baroque on several occasions as well as attend the Oberlin Baroque Institute in 2013. She sat principal second of the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra throughout her time in Nashville and also played viola with the Jet Set Strings. 

Julie and her husband have relocated to their home state, in Columbia, SC where Thomas is organist at First Presbyterian Church. She is currently playing with the SC Philharmonic and serving Blythewood High School as the Orchestra Director. She is the SCMEA Region Orchestra Chair, SCMEA Membership Chair, and SC ASTA president-elect. In 2024, she was a recipent of the Yamaha '40 Under 40' award for her work in music education. She was also named the Blythewood High School Teacher of the Year. She has conducted several Region Orchestras in South Carolina as well as serving as an adjudicator and clinician with groups all over the state. Julie and Thomas have three children and when they aren't camping or hiking, you can find them constantly working on brewing the best cup of coffee you've ever had. They are building a barndominium in Blythewood on their land and hope to have many gatherings and house concerts in the years to come.