Julie has been a member of the Colorado Symphony since 1997. She played the 1998-99 season with the New York Philharmonic, recording and touring with them, and has also performed with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. Each summer, Julie performs as Principal Flute with the Washington Island Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. She has also performed with the Grand Tetons Festival Orchestra, and Strings in the Mountains. As a student, Julie performed with many prestigious ensembles. These include the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall, the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute, the Music Academy of the West and she held the Piccolo Fellowship with the Aspen Music Festival for three summers. In High School, Julie was a finalist in the Seventeen Magazine General Motors National Concerto Competition and the National Flute Association High School Solo Competition. A native of Mercer Island, Washington, Julie holds a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a Master's Degree from the Eastman School of Music. She also completed her coursework towards a Doctoral degree at Rice University. Her primary teachers include Walfrid Kujala, Bonita Boyd, Leone Buyse, Carol Wincenc, and Anne Diener-Giles. Julie is married to Michael Thornton, Principal Horn of the Colorado Symphony. They are the proud parents of their two young daughters.