Since winning the 2nd Percussion position in 1999, Julie has continually shown her dedication to the Maryland Symphony, most recently as Acting Principal Percussionist from the onset of the Pandemic until 2025. Personal highlights include a Pops Concert with Doc Severensin, the world-premiere recording of Chris Brubeck’s Affinity: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra with award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, numerous solo performances of Gerald McBoingBoing for the MSO Youth Concerts and as a featured member in the Maryland Public TV special with Bob Heck, otherwise known as Bob the Vid Tech.
A native of Worcester, MA, she grew up playing snare drum in Drum & Bugle Corps and spent her 11th and final season as Timpanist of the World-Champion Boston Crusaders.
She graduated cum laude from The University of Massachusetts with a degree in Music Education and received a Master of Music degree from the prestigious Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where she won spots at many of the major summer festivals to include NOI, NRO, PMF and a summer in Spoleto, Italy where she had the surreal opportunity to perform with Pavarotti.
During her career with The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” she performed primarily as Principal Timpanist, a position she held for 17 of her 23 years on Active Duty. Highlights included shows with Kenny Loggins, Lou Rawls, Usher, the rock band KANSAS as well as tours to Norway and China. Julie also had the honor of performing for U.S. Presidents and Foreign Dignitaries at The White House, The Pentagon, The U.S. Capitol and for countless full-honor funerals in Arlington National Cemetery.
Currently, she is Timpanist of The Brass Band of Battle Creek, an International all-star ensemble in which she was singled out by “4barsrest” as one of the top performers of 2022. She was featured on the podcast “Discussions in Percussion” and lauded for her Timpani playing by Naxos and Hyperion records for award-winning recordings by Metro-DC based Choralis, Washington Chorus and the 2026 release of “Brass for Uncommon Times.” Since 2022, she has been the Snare Drummer for the Blossom Festival Band in Cuyahoga, OH, a band originally conducted by Meredith Wilson of “The Music Man.” She was featured soloist in Leroy Anderson’s “The Typewriter” which was complete with all the schtick and flair in front of a packed audience of thousands for the America 250 4th of July Celebration. Other freelance highlights include Acting Principal Timpanist for the Pittsburgh Opera’s productions of Madama Butterfly and La Boheme, the Venice (FL)Symphony, the Sacramento Philharmonic’s “Harry Potter” and “Final Fantasy” Pops and last but certainly not least, she was honored to participate as a mentor for Equity Arc Wind Symphony’s inaugural collaboration that culminated in a 60 Minutes broadcast that was viewed by millions. In her free time Julie can be found reading on the beach, a porch, the train or a plane, or spending time with her family and their cats who were adopted while volunteering at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.