Bobby R Francis

Bobby R. Francis is a Professor and Director of Bands at Texas Christian University. Mr. Francis serves as Conductor of the TCU Wind Symphony, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and is responsible for the supervision of all aspects of the TCU Band and Wind Conducting programs. Mr. Francis is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA). He currently serves the organization as President-Elect and will assume the Presidency in February 2024. Previously, Prof. Francis served on the Sousa-ABA- Ostwald Award Selection Committee that selects the outstanding new composition for Wind Band each year – the most significant award a composer for the wind band medium can receive. He also served as a member of the ABA Board of Directors for many years. He is a Past-President of the CBDNA Southwest Region and the Big 12 Band Directors Association. His former directors include Norman White (Junior High), Tom Neugent (High School) and James Keene (College).

Guest conducting appearances include the U.S. Marine Band “President’s Own”, U.S. Army Band “The Pershing’s Own,” Frost School of Music – University of Miami Wind Symphony, The U.S. Coast Guard Band, the Lone Star Youth Wind Orchestra among others. The TCU Wind Symphony has performed with guest artists including the Jens Lindemann, Demondrae Thurman, American Brass Quintet, Sam Palafian, Patrick Sheridan, Brian Bowman, Allen Vizzutti, Jon Lewis, Joe Eckert, Corey Mackey, Clay Garrett, Gary Whitman, Jesus Castro- Balbi, Brian West, Shauna Thompson, Markus Theinert and Boston Brass.

Mr. Francis has collaborated with many composers including Paul Dooley, John Mackey, Frank Ticheli, David Maslanka, Michael Colgrass, Curt Wilson, Joseph Turrin, James Syler, James Stephenson, Kevin Day, Eric Ewazen, Michael Daugherty, Quinn Mason, Onsby Rose, Blaise Ferrandino, Till Meyn, Haley Woodrow, Shuying Li and John Corigliano. In recent years, the TCU Wind Symphony  has accepted invitations to perform at the 2018 Convention of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) annual convention with guest artists the “Boston Brass”, the 2019 at the College Band Directors National Association Convention (CBDNA) in Tempe Arizona with guest artist Demondrae Thurman, the 2020 Texas Music Educators Association Convention (TMEA) in San Antonio with guest artist Jens Lindemann and will be hosting and have accepted an invitation to perform at the 2025 convention of the CBDNA  – at the new TCU Music Center in the Van Cliburn Concert Hall. The TCU Wind Symphony was also invited to perform at the recent convention of the World Association of Symphonic Winds and Ensembles (WASBE) in Prague, Czech Republic. The group had to decline due to TCU’s covid restrictions for international travel.

He has conducted concerts in the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas), Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth), Royal College of Music (London), Lila Cockrell Theater (San Antonio), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Tempe Center for the Performing Arts (Tempe, Arizona), Normandy Beach (France), Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) and many locations in Italy, France, Austria, and Germany.

Professor Francis is active as a guest clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor with recent engagements including Oregon All-State Band, Texas Community College Directors Association All-State Band, Salem-Keizer Public School District Honor Band, TMEA All-Region Band invitations including Regions 5, 31, 30, 4, 20, 3, 29 and the Arlington (TX) All-city Band. He has recently adjudicated marching band and concert festivals in Mesquite, Denton, Corpus Christi, and Allen. He recently presented a clinic at the Oregon Music Educators Association Conference and has presented many times at Arkansas State University, Lamar University, TMEA and TBA. He will be guest conducting at Auburn University and the University of Kentucky and several all-region bands in spring 2023.

As a former member of the Texas All-State Band, Mr. Francis was active as a performer for many years at the beginning of his career. He served as principal clarinetist with the Texas Wind Symphony, was a frequent member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, and was clarinetist with the University of Texas at Arlington Faculty Woodwind Quintet for six years. As a woodwind specialist, Mr. Francis performed as a saxophonist/woodwind with many performing artists including Gladys Knight and the Pips, Bob Crosby, Bobby Short, Johnny Mathis, Red Skelton, John Davidson and others. He was a saxophonist with the Mal Fitch Society Big Band for many years performing at social events, Texas Governors’ Inaugural Balls, radio broadcasts, and other government and social events. He was also the founder and clarinetist with “Razzmajazz” – A Dixieland band that performed at Six Flags Over Texas, Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey and many Dallas-area parties, conventions, and social events.

He resides in Colleyville with his wife, Teresa, who is a retired middle school band director, private horn instructor and performance artist. They have two daughters: Tamsyn and Breelyn.