Pete Madsen

Dr. Pete Madsen is a nationally and internationally recognized jazz educator, trombonist, producer, and arts leader who serves as Professor of Music, Jazz Area Coordinator, Director of Jazz Studies, and Graduate Program Coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), where he has been a member of the faculty since 2000. He holds the distinguished title of Marguerite Scribante Professor of Music, a competitive appointment recognizing excellence in teaching, research/creative activity, and service.

 

Dr. Madsen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in K–12 Music Education (summa cum laude) from the University of Missouri, a Master of Music degree with emphases in trombone performance and jazz from Northern Illinois University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trombone performance from the University of Illinois.

 

At UNO, Dr. Madsen directs the jazz ensembles and jazz combos; teaches applied low brass and low brass ensemble; and coordinates major outreach initiatives including the UNO Great Plains Jazz Festival and UNO Jazz Camp. Under his leadership, the UNO Jazz Program has grown into one of the region’s most visible and internationally active university jazz programs, expanding faculty, degree offerings, ensembles, and global engagement opportunities for students.

 

One of Dr. Madsen’s most significant recent achievements is producing the first-ever University of Nebraska at Omaha Jazz Ensemble compact disc, released on the JV Music label. The recording, which features Latin GRAMMY Award–winning artist José Valentino, is available internationally on Spotify and Apple Music and represents a historic milestone for the program. Music from the album was performed by the UNO Jazz Ensemble during its tour of Uruguay and at an official CD release concert in Miami. A live performance connected to this project earned a Global Music Award Silver Medal in the Latin Jazz category, further elevating the ensemble’s international profile.

 

Dr. Madsen’s leadership has also resulted in an extraordinary record of international touring and cultural diplomacy. Since 2003, the UNO Jazz Program has established a global reputation through tours to Europe (2003, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2024), Asia (2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018), Israel (2023), and Uruguay (2025). The UNO Jazz Ensemble is scheduled to return to Europe again in September 2026, continuing a two-decade tradition of international artistic exchange and performance at major festivals, conservatories, and cultural institutions.

 

Deeply committed to arts education and community engagement, Dr. Madsen founded the Metropolitan Area Youth Jazz Orchestra (MAYJO) in 2003. MAYJO is an 18-piece, auditioned big band composed of high school students from across the Omaha metropolitan area. The ensemble rehearses at UNO, with all members enrolled through UNO’s Early Entry Program, providing advanced academic and musical training while strengthening pathways to higher education. Under Dr. Madsen’s direction, MAYJO has been selected four times through a highly competitive international audition process to perform at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) International Conference—in 2010 (St. Louis), 2015 (San Diego), 2018 (Dallas), and 2022 (Dallas)—a rare and significant distinction for a pre-collegiate ensemble.

Dr. Madsen has also been a driving force behind international academic collaboration. He has facilitated and championed a sustained exchange partnership between UNO and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (JVLMA) in Riga, Latvia. Now in its fourth year of ERASMUS grant funding, the program supports two JVLMA students studying at UNO for a full semester and two UNO students studying at JVLMA each year, along with reciprocal weeklong teaching residencies by faculty from both institutions. Most recently, Dr. Madsen returned from Latvia, where he worked closely with JVLMA faculty and students as producer and music director for a joint international CD project, further strengthening artistic and educational ties between the two institutions.

 

As a performer, Dr. Madsen is equally at home in jazz, classical, commercial, and popular music settings. His career includes performances with artists such as Bill Watrous, Pete Christlieb, Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valli, and Conor Oberst, as well as ensembles including the Jim Widner Big Band, Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Illinois Symphony, Missouri Symphony Society, Omaha Brass Ensemble, and Omaha Jazz Orchestra. He is also a founding member of the Continental Trombone Quartet, which has performed throughout the United States and internationally in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, China, and Canada.

 

Dr. Madsen has recorded for Summit Records, Nonesuch Records, Chase Music Group, Albany Records, and JV Music. His recording credits include Emergency Vehicle Blues and Sliders with Big Band Bones, The Beat Goes On and Out of This World with the Jim Widner Big Band, Tabacon! with the Continental Trombone Quartet, and Upside Down Mountain with Conor Oberst, the latter of which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Folk Albums chart.

 

An in-demand guest artist and clinician, Dr. Madsen has presented performances and clinics at major professional conferences including the Midwest Clinic, Eastern Trombone Workshop, International Trombone Festival, and the Jazz Education Network International Conference, in addition to teaching, adjudicating, and presenting throughout the United States and internationally in Europe, Japan, Brazil, China, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

 

Among Dr. Madsen’s many honors, one of his most meaningful distinctions is being selected as the recipient of the 2023 Nebraska Arts Council Award for Excellence in Arts Education. This statewide honor recognizes his sustained impact on students, educators, and communities through innovative programming, inclusive access initiatives, and visionary leadership in jazz education.

Dr. Madsen is a Getzen Artist/Clinician and remains deeply committed to mentoring students, advancing diversity and access in the arts, fostering international collaboration, and expanding the role of jazz as a vital cultural and educational force.