Matthew Brooks
General Information
Biography
Matthew J. Brooks is Director of Orchestras at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he conducts the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra and the UNO Chamber Orchestra, and teaches undergraduate music theory and graduate orchestral conducting. As part of a collaboration between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the UNO School of Music, Dr. Brooks was critical in creating the Nebraska Medical Orchestra, for which he is the founding music director and conductor.
As an academic conductor, Dr. Brooks was previously on the music faculty at Shasta College in California where he directed the student orchestras, in addition to teaching the music theory and aural skills curriculum. He has also conducted the James Madison University Orchestras in a number of regular performances, including annual concerts as part of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program. Prior to that, he was the associate conductor of the UNLV Symphony with which he was involved in collaborations with Samuel Ramey, Frank Huang, Edgar Meyer, and Peter Schickele.
Dr. Brooks maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician having worked with ensembles across the United States and internationally. He has presented at state, national, and international conferences on topics ranging from conducting pedagogy to medical humanities. He is currently the Assistant Editor for the College Orchestra Directors’ Association (CODA) Journal and on the Board for the Nebraska Chapter of American String Teachers Association. He also holds affiliations with National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Nebraska Music Educators’ Association (NMEA), and American String Teachers’ Association (ASTA).
Education
DMA, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, Orchestral Conducting, Pedagogy, and Literature, 2015
MM, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, Orchestral Conducting, 2005
BM, The Hartt School, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, Music Education, 2003