Candidate Jacob Wallace

South Dakota State University
Director of Concert Bands

Biographical Statement

Jacob Wallace is passionately committed to the performance of contemporary instrumental music. His efforts to present innovative and approachable programming of new works have brought modern trends to atypical places, with performances being lauded by audiences and professionals alike. Ensembles under his direction have presented world, national, and regional premieres of works by many talented and diverse composers.

Since 2015, Dr. Wallace has been on the faculty of South Dakota State University, where he serves as Professor of Music and Director of Concert Bands. In this capacity, he conducts the Wind Symphony; teaches coursework in conducting and education; and administrates the wind ensemble activities of the School of Performing Arts. Prior to this, he served as Director of Bands at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. From 2013-2015, he was on the conducting faculty of the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Tuscany, Italy. He was named the winner of The American Prize in Conducting in 2019, and the SDSU Wind Symphony under his direction has received two national placements for The American Prize in 2023. His research in the area of diversifying composer representation in large ensemble programming has been presented at The Midwest Clinic, national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, and other workshops and conventions and he has served on the Advisory Council of the Institute for Composer Diversity.

Dr. Wallace’s involvement with the College Band Directors National Association spans the last two decades. Under his direction, the SDSU Wind Symphony performed at the CBDNA North Central divisional conference at The Ohio State University in 2024, and he presented at national conferences in 2017 (University of Missouri-Kansas City), 2019 (Arizona State University), and 2023 (The University of Georgia). He also has been heavily involved in service work representing small band programs in the organization, with appointments to the Small Band Programs committee from 2015-2021, in addition to acting as associate chair of the Small Band Programs Intercollegiate Band from 2013-2015 and chair of that same group from 2015-2017. He has served twice as a reviewer of performance applications for divisional conferences and once as a reviewer for peer-reviewed conference presentations.

Dr. Wallace holds degrees from The University of Georgia, Baylor University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He remains active as an adjudicator, conductor, and clinician throughout the United States and maintains professional affiliations with the College Band Directors National Association and the South Dakota Bandmasters Association. He is a member of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity as well as the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society and holds honorary membership in the Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Service Sorority and the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

I’m honored to be considered for the office of President-Elect of the North Central division of the College Band Directors National Association. CBDNA has been a remarkable influence on my professional life, dating back to being an undergraduate student on the stage for a North Central divisional conference performance in 2004. Since that milestone moment, I’ve been consistently inspired and amazed by those in our profession who demonstrate their artistry, scholarship, and commitment to advocacy for wind bands in higher education.

It’s no secret that the arts in higher education face significant challenges in our current environment: prospective students are ever more frequently directed towards major fields that are “profitable,” institutional financial struggles are often directed disproportionately towards the liberal arts and humanities, and creative endeavors are subjected to intense scrutiny by spectators who attempt to evaluate their perceived political implications. As I write this statement, at both Watertown High School in Wisconsin and Westfield High School in Indiana (both in our own division), we have seen the impact of external pressures on the creative activity of students. In each of these examples, however, we have also seen the power of community support for the arts push back on political outrage, and in these, I believe we can see opportunity for the future of our artistry and teaching.

As an artist and educator, I am focused most prominently on the idea of building and strengthening community through music-making. In a moment where we face threats that frequently seem existential, our ability to connect with those around us could not be more important. My charge has been to find ways, whenever possible, to engage our community constituencies to reinforce our critical role in the cultural ecosystem of our region, which bridges urban and rural spaces with equal importance. As someone who has spent the entirety of my teaching career at “small” institutions surrounded by lower population densities, I find an incredible importance in widening the tent of CBDNA to encourage advocacy for colleges and universities of all shapes and sizes and to provide accessibility and resources to those who are far removed from the traditional centers of the band world. I am also a strong proponent for championing the artistic voices of the marginalized, with a research background in representation within programmatic artistic decision making and a track record of enacting inclusive practices in performance.

The North Central division of CBDNA has an enormous potential for impact on our field, with an immense sense of tradition as the cradle of our university band culture operating in tandem with an embrace of innovation in the artistic space. If given the responsibility for leading the division, I would encourage both of these arenas, showcasing the broad talents and creativity of our region. I am a collaborative leader who thrives on listening and finding consensus while moving towards a common goal of success. I would be enormously honored by the opportunity and humbled to serve you in this important role.