Jay S. Gephart

Al G. Wright Chair, Director of Bands

Jay S. Gephart has been a faculty member of Purdue University since the fall of 1995. He currently serves as director of the Purdue Wind Ensemble. From 2006-2024, Professor Gephart was director of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band.

Under Gephart's direction, the Purdue Wind Ensemble has shared the stage with some of the nation's outstanding soloists and has represented Purdue at national and state conventions. Some of the ensembles' notable performances were on the stages of Chicago's Symphony Center, the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the national convention of the American Bandmasters Association.

Gephart elevated the national and international reputation of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band while director. In 2010, the band became the first in the Big Ten to lead the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He has led the band in numerous international performances, including concerts in China, Ireland and Colombia.

Gephart has been very active in various professional organizations. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and past president of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards including the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity Outstanding Bandmaster Award, the Women Band Directors International Al G. Wright Award, the National Band Association Al and Gladys Wright Lifetime Legacy Award, the Indiana Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award, the Indiana Wind Symphony James Calvert Outstanding Music Educator Award and the Indiana Music Educators Association Collegiate Educator of the Year.

Gephart received a Master of Music in Performance degree with high distinction from Indiana University in 1988 after completing his Bachelor of Music Education degree with distinction, also from Indiana University, in 1983. He and his wife Jana have four children and six grandchildren.