Curriculum Vitae

Education

University of Kansas: PhD, Musicology                                                                                      2024

            PhD Dissertation: Orchestral Programming and American Identity
            in the Great Depression and World War II.

Link coming soon! (My dissertation is currently available on ProQuest)

University of Kansas: Graduate Certificate in Music Enterprise                                                2022

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Master of Music, Music History                                              2020

Master’s Thesis: Thematic Development in John Powell’s Score for
How to Train Your Dragon (2010), 2020.

Read here: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/musicstudent/138/

Grand Valley State University: Bachelor of Music, Clarinet Performance and                        2017
minor in General Business

Work Experience

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra: Event Staff                                                                  2023-present

Carmel Symphony Orchestra (Carmel, IN): Events Assistant                                              2023

Lied Center of Kansas (Lawrence, KS): General Intern and Ticket Office Employee       2021-2022

University of Kansas: Recital Monitor                                    2020-2022

University of Kansas: Graduate Teaching Assistant in Musicology 2020-2023

Arts Incorporated (Lincoln, NE): Music Librarian                                                              2019-2020

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Graduate Teaching Assistant in Music History 2018-2020

Meyer Music (Grand Rapids, MI): Clarinet Teacher 2016-2018

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lake, MI): Camp Counselor and Staff Band Clarinetist 2015

Publications and Presentations

Finnegan-Hill, Denise. “Friendship and Flight: Thematic Development in E.T. (1982) and How to Train Your Dragon(2010).” Journal of Film Music 11, no. 1 (December 19, 2023).    https://doi.org/10.1558/jfm.22029.

Finnegan-Hill, Denise E. Review of How to Train Your Dragon, by John Powell. Notes 78, no. 3 (2022): 466-469. doi:10.1353/not.2022.0031.

“Understanding Thematic Development in How to Train Your Dragon” at Music and the Moving Image Conference, May 31- June 2, 2019

Software Proficiencies

Video Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro (LinkedIn Learning course certified), Final Cut Pro (LinkedIn Learning course certified)

Audio Editing Software: Garage Band, ProTools

Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Powerpoint

Performance and Recordings

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Symphonic Band, principal clarinet

Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, B-flat and E-flat clarinets

GVSU New Music Ensemble, B-flat and bass clarinets

GVSU Symphony Orchestra, co-principal clarinet

GVSU Opera Orchestra, B-flat clarinet

GVSU Chamber Ensemble, B-flat clarinet

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp 2015 Staff Band, B-flat clarinet

Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble with soloists Richard Stoelzel and Rex Richardson, Under Western Skies (2016), B-flat clarinet

Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, Dawn Chorus (2020), B-flat and Bass clarinets