Matthew J. Brooks, D.M.A.

About Matthew Brooks

Dr. Matthew J. Brooks is Associate Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities in Music & Medicine at University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) where he leads the University Orchestra, the Omaha Area Youth Orchestra Youth Symphony, and teaches graduate orchestral conducting in the School of Music. As part of a collaboration between the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the UNO School of Music, Dr. Brooks was critical in creating the Nebraska Medical Orchestra in 2018, for which he is the founding music director and conductor. He serves on the UNO Medical Humanities faculty and is a courtesy faculty member in the UNMC College of Medicine where he coordinates Music & Medicine activities with UNMC Campus Wellness. His work at UNMC was recognized by the University awarding him the Valor in Educational Service Award -- one of eight Impact in Education Awards awarded in 2022.

Dr. Brooks previously served on the music faculties of Shasta College and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Highlights from his academic conducting include leading annual youth concerts as part of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program and collaborations with Broadway legend Patti Lupone, New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Frank Huang, American bassist Edgar Meyer, celebrated opera singer Samuel Ramey, and the late composer Peter Schickele--also known as P.D.Q. Bach. 

Dr. Brooks maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He often guest conducts the Omaha Symphony Music Mentors program and various honor orchestras. He frequently presents on music, wellness, and mental health at national and international conferences, and his peer-reviewed research has been published in the American Medical Association (AMA) Journal of Ethics and the Journal of Wellness. Dr. Brooks co-founded the National Association of Medical Orchestras in 2021, is past president of the College Orchestra Directors’ Association (CODA) North Central Region, and Assistant Editor of the CODA Peer-Reviewed Journal.

Dr. Brooks holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting, Pedagogy, and Literature. Outside of music, Dr. Brooks also holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and works as a board-certified clinical therapist, as he strives to encourage positive mental health within the academic and professional music communities. For more information, visit www.matthewjbrooks.com