Artistic Staff

Jeremy W. Parker

Jeremy Parker is the Artistic Director and Program Coordinator of the Tulsa Winds. He is also the Artistic Director forTulsa Starlight Concerts and Conductor of the StarlightWinds, Oklahoma's only professional wind ensemble. Since 2012 he has served as Director of BandPrograms and is the Director of Fine Arts for Bixby Public Schools where he oversees all aspects of the Bixby Bands, conducts the Bixby Wind Ensemble, and directs the award-winning “Pride of Bixby” Marching Band. He holds a B.M.E in Music from Oklahoma State University and M.E. in Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Jeremy is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for marching and concert bands and freelances as a music program consultant. He is also a program coordinator for the Zephyrus Arts Institute. Jeremy is also the producer of Wind & Rhythm, a nationally-syndicated radio program known as “the gathering place for people who love band music”. A longtime champion of wind band music, Jeremy has collaborated with many composers to commission new works for the medium.

Matthew Balmer

David Lawrence

Matthew Balmer is the associate conductor and music coordinator of the Tulsa Winds. Matthew was also the conductor of the Canton Concert Band in Canton, Ohio from 2011-2013. He also formed the highly regarded Depot Town Big Band in Michigan in which he led for four years before moving to Oklahoma. The Depot Town Big Band continues to perform and thrive to this day. Currently Matthew serves as the director of bands at Wyandotte Public Schools, where he guides all aspects of the band program.

Matthew earned his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma and His master’s degree in music from Eastern Michigan University. Upon earning his masters, Matthew worked as a freelance trumpet player, playing in several band and jazz bands around Michigan. He is also an active freelance performer in and around the Tulsa area. Matthew is committed to providing quality musical opportunities for both students and adults alike. His professional affiliations include Kappa Kappa Psi, Oklahoma Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education.

David Lawrence is the current host of Wind & Rhythm having taken over from the founder of Wind & Rhythm, Doug Brown, after his passing in 2018. David’s full time gig, though, is teaching music, biology, leadership, and STEM at Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma. He also directs the Blaskapelle, or wind band, of the German-American Society of Tulsa which plays at a variety of venues in Tulsa and the surrounding area, including Tulsa’s famous Oktoberfest. His main instrument is the euphonium, and David can be seen playing with a variety of local ensembles including the Tulsa Winds.

He holds a BA from Southern Methodist University where he played in the marching band and in the university wind ensemble under Howard Dunn. Additionally, he earned a medical doctorate from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. David also writes and arranges music and is the composer of the Wind and Rhythm theme, “Fanfare for Doug.”