Dawn Barrett
Associate Conductor
Dawn M. Barrett is a conductor, music educator, and clarinetist in the NYC Metro area. She is an effervescent and zealous force with a passion for music making and fostering lifelong musicianship. Dawn is the associate conductor of Manhattan Summer Winds as well as the band and orchestra director of Woodrow Wilson Community School in Bayonne, New Jersey. In 2021, Dawn and her coworker Serge Puchinsky founded the Bayonne Youth Band and Orchestra to give their students a sorely needed outlet for musicianship after school.
Dawn is an active member in the greater music community. She was named one of three recipients of the 2025 Women Band Directors’ International Microgrant for her work promoting diversity and inclusion in school and community ensembles through Manhattan Summer Winds. She was a member of the 2022 Girls Who Conduct Early Career Mentorship Program under the guidance of Dr. Julia Baumanis. With a love of learning, she has attended many symposiums and clinics, such as the 2022 Arizona State University Wind Conducting Symposium, the 2023 Northwestern Wind Conducting Symposium with Dr. Mallory Thompson, and the 2024 MEBCI/WSW Wind Conducting Symposium. Dawn holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education she earned from Hofstra University in 2017.
Dawn has been playing clarinet and percussion with Manhattan Wind Ensemble since 2018. In addition to performing, Dawn has served on the board serving different roles such as personnel director, secretary, and librarian. In 2022, Dawn traded in her clarinet for a baton and has been happy to serve as associate conductor of Manhattan Summer Winds ever since.
