Jeremy Wade is a dynamic educator, performer, and composer based in Central Kentucky. He serves as the percussion instructor for Transylvania University, Lexington Christian Academy, and Jessie Clark Middle School, and as a teaching artist for the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. He teaches dance for the Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dancers (KMID) and is Co-Director of the Kentucky Irish Music Academy. In addition to providing class and private instruction, Jeremy regularly facilitates bodhrán workshops and Irish music/ dance presentations at schools, conferences, and festivals throughout the USA.
A versatile performer, Jeremy is a member of several musical ensembles and maintains an active schedule as a freelance percussionist, specializing in bodhrán, timpani, and drumset. He plays bodhrán as one half of Irish trad duo, Set Course, and regularly serves as an accompanist at local feiseanna and céilí events. He is the principal percussionist for the Central Kentucky Concert Band, holds the drumset chair for Family Worship Center and Tates Creek Christian Church, and frequently plays for local pit orchestras. Apart from instrumental accolades, Jeremy is an award-winning Irish dancer, and performs as a member of the KMID faculty dance company.
Jeremy regularly travels to Ireland to hone his bodhrán skills, and has studied with some of the world’s most renowned players. He has contributed bodhrán recordings to several albums – including “Maiden Voyage” (Set Course, 2017) and “Songs for the Church” (Mason Ballard, 2024) – and two documentaries produced by Witnessing History. He originated the bodhrán solo part for Chad Floyd’s percussion quartet, “EscALE8,” and premiered the piece with the Campbellsville University Chamber Percussion Group in 2021. He was invited to present his workshop, “Developing Your Bodhrán Toolkit” at PASIC 50 (2025), and was a featured clinician at the PAS Kentucky and Tennessee Days of Percussion in 2024. In 2025, Jeremy launched an educational channel on YouTube – Jeremy Wade Bodhrán – dedicated to providing accessible content to those seeking to learn more about the bodhrán.
Jeremy holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (Integrated Music P-12) from the University of the Cumberlands, and a B.A. in Telecommunications (Audio/ Video Production) from the University of Kentucky.