Guest Conductor

2023 OMEA District 17 Honor Band

Dr. Jackie Townsend

Director of Bands

Lubbock (Texas) Christian University

Dr. Jackie Townsend recently served as director of bands and assistant professor of music in the Department of Communications and Fine Arts at Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas. She is the director of the Lubbock Christian University Symphonic Band and “Big Blue” Basketball Band, and also teaches courses in music theory, ear training, instrumental methods, and conducting as well as overseeing all aspects of the instrumental area. She joined the faculty at Lubbock Christian University in 2020 after serving for two years as the director of wind studies at the University of Southern Maine. From 2018-2020, she also served as the conductor of the Portland Youth Wind Ensemble, a select wind ensemble for young wind and percussion players from Maine and New Hampshire, as well as the Casco Bay Wind Symphony, a non-profit adult community wind symphony based in Greater Portland, Maine.

Dr. Townsend received her Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from University of North Texas (Denton, Texas), where she studied with Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Dennis Fisher, and Nicholas Enrico Williams. As a conducting teaching fellow at UNT, Jackie was responsible for directing the UNT Concert and University Bands, as well as guest directing the UNT Brass Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and the North Texas Wind Symphony. She also taught undergraduate conducting courses and maintained the UNT Wind Studies music library. From 2015-2018, Dr. Townsend served as the assistant conductor of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, a professional group made up of musicians from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

An Ohio native, Dr. Townsend holds a Bachelor's and Master's in Music Education from Bowlign Green State University where she studied conducting with Drs. Bruce Moss, Ken Thompson, Carol Hayward, and Emily Freeman Brown. Dr. Townsend was also director of bands at Keystone High School in LaGrange, Ohio, where she directed the high school concert band, marching band, and jazz band, as well as the 8th grade concert band.