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Shawna M. Wolf is a freelance musician and media expert inspired by nature, the goodness in people, and her home state of Wyoming. Wolf graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BM in oboe performance, and from Bowling Green State University with an MM in composition and an MM in oboe performance.

In 2017-18, following her undergraduate degree and preceding graduate study, Wolf was proud to work at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County in development, ticket services, and special event planning. Since 2019, Wolf has been employed by the University of Wyoming – National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Station, where the title “office assistant” leaves quite a bit of room for creativity and innovation. Originally hired to compile annual reports, Wolf now also manages the field station’s website and social media accounts and maintains a growing collection of digital assets. The part-time and flexible nature of this position leaves plenty of time for Shawna’s other creative pursuits. She spends this time freelancing as a composer, oboist, teacher, audio engineer, sound editor, videographer, copy editor, web developer, and graphic designer, though admittedly, not ever all at once.

Wolf has a special interest in cross-disciplinary collaboration. This interest was sparked by the Bee Aware Project in 2016, when Wolf toured Hawaii as a composer and oboist, working with entomologist Dr. Michael Dillon, choreographer Rachel Shaw, and professor of Theatre and Dance Cecilia Aragon. Shawna also worked with Dr. Dillon recording bumblebee sounds to better understand how bees communicate. Their collaboration resulted in the work Bumblebee Revery, premiered in 2017 at the Redline Contemporary Art Center as part of the May 2017 (de)composition salon, hosted by Cristin Colvin.

Shawna’s role as intern and fellow at the Wyoming Festival, starting in 2016, has fostered collaborations with various professionals including biologist Dr. Amy Krist (Potamopyrgus 2018), visual artist Jan Arabas (Seeing in Another Spectrum 2017), and videographer Ali Grossman (internship 2016-17). In 2023, Wolf used previous UW-NPS reports as an inspiration for her piece, The Beaver and the Willow, and is currently working with composers and scientists to produce a mini-series highlighting the relationships between pieces written for the Wyoming Festival and the science behind the music.

Outside of collaboration, Wolf has composed numerous solo, chamber, electronic, and large ensemble works. Her pieces have been performed by members of the Florida Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the National Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Wyoming Wind Symphony.

In her free time, Shawna enjoys playing ukulele, crocheting cozy gifts, making a mess in the kitchen, cuddling with a large orange cat named Clark, and exploring the great outdoors with her best friend – a little black dog named Archie.