Denise has been in the music world since she was a young child. She plays piano, organ, flute, bassoon, guitar and the ukulele. Gospel music has been a big part of her story, as well as barbershop quartets. She has a rich background working various positions that have included the University of Texas, Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Musical Theatre, Austin Circle of Theatres, Fired Up Foundation, Texas Parks & Wildlife, The Crossings Retreat Center and the Central Texas Food Bank. In 2009 she and her husband Charles relocated to Durango, Colorado and she started a publishing business focussing on arts and culture in the Four Corners Region and produced playbills for regional arts organizations. They purchased a quarterly arts publication, Arts Perspective magazine where she was the publisher, editor, sales director.

In 2015, she created the Rocky Mountain UkeFest and spent the next decade presenting educational opportunities and performances with ukulele professionals from all over the world.  After running her own ukulele studio for a number of years, she joined the team at Stillwater Music in 2024 where she teaches ukulele and two very fun ukuele adult group classes. 

Find out more information about Denise’s Ukulele Orchestra or her beginning adult uke class, The Aloha Strummers!