Gretchen Hill is a first year MM student in clarinet performance at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Mead Witter School of Music, where she is a recipient of the Paul J. Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. She is a recent graduate of Bowling Green State University, Ohio (2016-2020), where she completed a bachelor’s degree in music performance and music education.

As an avid chamber musician, she has given performances across the United States and in Tainan, Taiwan with groups such as The Borderlines Trio (flute, clarinet, piano), The Djinn and Autumn Trios (violin, clarinet, piano), Trio Modelo (clarinet, cello, piano), The Verismo Wind Duo (flute/clarinet), and The Driftless Reed Quintet (as bass clarinetist).

Her dedicated collaborative experiences have led to winning prizes at the Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition (first place 2018 and 2019), being a finalist for the MTNA National Chamber Music – Strings Competition (2019), placing as a finalist in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition (2019), and serving as part of a fellowship ensemble for the Cincinnati Young Artist Chamber Music Festival at CCM (2019). She was also a participant in the 2018 Bay View Music Festival, Chamber Music Institute, where she performed in a Woodwind Quintet and for the Mainstage Opera Production of Le Nozze di Figaro.

An important aspect of Gretchen’s dedication to chamber music includes her passion and initiative for community outreach. In 2019, she collaborated with The Borderlines Trio to put on an outreach tour to middle and high schools in the southeastern region of Michigan (where she is originally from). Additionally, as part of the Verismo Wind Duo, she has programmed a variety of outreach events for preschool students and members of senior living centers.

In addition to chamber music, she performs regularly as principal clarinet of the UW – Madison, Mead Witter School of Music, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. She has also appeared with the Lima Symphony during their 2019-2020 season. Gretchen also enjoys playing for opera productions and has recently performed Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan Tutte, Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness: Two Remain, and Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. 

As a soloist, Gretchen has won the Ohio, MTNA, Young Artist Competition (2019), and received honorable mention in the BGSU Concerto Competition (2017).

As an advocate for new music and an innovator in the field, Gretchen helped to create, and maintains, a comprehensive database of works for flute, clarinet, and piano. This can be found at https://fluteclarinetpiano.wixsite.com/repertoire. Additionally, through the Hansen Fellowship at BGSU, she has had the incredible opportunity of working with renowned composer Eric Mandat on a commission for clarinet/violin duo titled Songs from Afar. 

When not performing or teaching, Gretchen enjoys spending time with her family and partner Taylor Francis, flutist. She loves hiking, reading, board games, yoga, trying all types of food, and exploring her new hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.

Gretchen is originally from Flint, Michigan, and her primary teachers include Alicia Lee (present), JJ Koh, Kevin Schempf, and Dr. Spencer Prewitt.