Bio

Dr. Wes Parker has served as the Director of Jazz Studies at North Carolina State University since 2006. Under his direction, Jazz at NC State has grown to include three big bands and four jazz combos and has recorded three studio albums over the last decade. In December 2022, the NC State Jazz Orchestra was invited to perform at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, marking the first time a collegiate ensemble from North Carolina represented the state in the history of the conference. Throughout his tenure at NC State, the jazz program has hosted numerous luminaries, including Bobby Shew, Wayne Bergeron, Terell Stafford, Michael Dease, Jeff Coffin, Jiggs Whigham, and Bryan Carter.

Dr. Parker maintains an active career as a freelance trombonist, sharing the stage with legendary artists such as Aretha Franklin, Idina Menzel, Plácido Domingo, Branford Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Josh Groban, and The Temptations. He has performed with the Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller Orchestras, and is a regular member of the North Carolina Opera Orchestra, Carolina Ballet Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, and North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra.

A recipient of the NC State Outstanding Teacher Award and the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence, Dr. Parker is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for All-State and All-Region honor bands and will co-present a clinic on jazz improvisation at The Midwest Clinic in December 2026. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Tennessee Tech University, as well as a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance from The University of Southern Mississippi.