Episode 192 - Taneea and Dawson Hull

Guest Bio:

Taneea Hull began her musical career in Sioux Falls, SD, when she picked up the clarinet in her fifth grade band and studied with Chris Hill, the principal clarinetist of the South Dakota Symphony. Today, she is an active performer and teacher in the Memphis, TN area. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Clarinet Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD where she studied with Steven Barta.

Taneea is principal clarinetist with the Jackson Symphony in TN and performs with other orchestras such as the South Dakota Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Memphis Repertory Orchestra, and the Alabama Symphony. She has been a concerto soloist with the Germantown Symphony, the Ocmulgee Symphony, and the Sioux Falls Municipal Band, and was a guest artist with her husband, performing Rhapsody in Blue and playing principal clarinet with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dawson Hull is a pianist, composer, and conductor living in Memphis, TN. A graduate from the University of Memphis, Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and Samford University in Birmingham, AL, Dawson has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous symphony orchestras. His compositions and arrangements have been performed across the nation. Dawson is the Pastor of Instrumental Worship Arts at Germantown Baptist Church where he leads the Conservatory of Music, orchestra, jazz band, and student choir. Dawson and his wife, Taneea, who is a clarinetist, have three children.

Dawson and I met in the cafeteria of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD in 2007. We connected immediately over our shared faith and began dating and playing music together within a few months. But believe it or not, our music wasn’t always so harmonious! Dawson was really good at musical details and digging deep into the emotion and meaning of the music. I was really good at rhythm and technical accuracy. We clashed a bit with our critique of each other’s weak areas and some rehearsals were….interesting. 

But over the past 13 years of composing and performing, we have helped each other immensely to grow in our musicianship, especially in the areas that were lacking at first. God has woven our music together just as he has woven us together in marriage and we love sharing our music with all those around us!

We have been dreaming about making an album together ever since Dawson wrote the first thing for us to play - an arrangement of Be Thou My Vision. We were newly married and serving at a church that allowed us to share our music in creative ways. Dawson wrote a few more pieces for us to play there, and then sporadically added to the collection over the next few years.

We had ideas for an album and wanted to start working on it but between not having quite enough music and the overwhelming process of learning how to go about making an album, our dream stalled for several years. Then, while being stuck at home in 2020, Dawson turned out about five more arrangements and we suddenly had just the right amount for an album, and enough musical success as a performing duo that we decided it was time to go for it!

God weaved the pieces of the puzzle together expertly, confirming that this project was a special assignment from Him. He brought people into our lives to be involved in the production process that have encouraged and allowed us to remain committed to our purpose of serving Him and bringing Him glory through our music.

It’s hard to believe our dream album is finally done and ready to be shared!

Learn more about Taneea and Dawson at http://www.taneeahull.com/ and https://dawsonhull.com/

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