A native of Tennessee, Michael Parks holds a BM from Mercer University and an MM from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has composed or arranged over 300 published and recorded works for church and college choirs with hundreds more finding their way into recital halls and onto concert stages across the country. His music has been performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Erich Kunzel, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, and scores of community and international chamber ensembles. From 1999-2002 he conducted the Sounds for Hope benefit concert series at Cincinnati’s storied Music Hall, featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, guest artists, and a 150-voice chorus. In the last decade the demand for his arrangements has grown dramatically among high school show choirs across the Midwest. From 1996-2012 he was an annual recipient of the ASCAP Composition Award.
Educationally, Mr. Parks has served as an adjudicator and clinician for the Georgia State Literary Meets Music Division and the Ohio All State Choir selection committee. Always an innovator, he created the Academic Honors Option course for upper level choir students in the Northwest Local School District, Cincinnati, OH, and developed a curricular music program for special needs students. His papers on learning processes and musical philosophy have been published in scholarly journals and in the curriculum of leading research universities. As an adjunct at the College of Mount St. Joseph, Mr. Parks taught conducting, orchestration, and directed the College Chorale. He was the Northwest Local Schools 2013 Educator of the Year, and along with his wife, Randie, directed the nationally acclaimed Colerain High School Show Cards. Together, Michael and Randie Parks were recipients of the 2018 Aspire Award, a national accolade for lifetime achievement in music education. Now retired from teaching, Mr. Parks stays busy as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator.
On the fun side, Mr. Parks enjoys his four dogs, life as a grandfather, and is a member of MENSA.