Kendall Campus

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University
• Master of Music from Northwestern University
• Doctor of Musical Arts from University of Miami

BIOGRAPHY

David Brubeck’s compositions for unaccompanied bass clef instruments, entitled “Stereograms”, have been performed and recorded by numerous prominent musicians around the globe. Brubeck has performed and sometimes recorded with several musical luminaries including Stevie Wonder, Barry Gibb, the Bolshoi Ballet, NWS with Michael Tilson Thomas, Ray Charles, American Ballet Theatre, Sarah Chang, Miami City Ballet, Dione Warwick, the Four Tops and many others. Brubeck may be the only solo/duo artist to perform at four of the major international brass festivals, often more than once. His numerous scholarly articles, interviews, compositions and publications include the seminal “The Pedagogy of Arnold Jacobs”, which is often cited and has been translated into Polish. A third cousin and named after famed jazz pianist, Dave Brubeck, Brubeck the Younger is the leader of the internationally renowned jazz group-Duo Brubeck which was recently featured in a ten-page article in the Journal of the International Trombone Association.

Brubeck’s recordings of numerous duets for trombone and trumpet are some of the finest live recordings in the genre. His performances, publications, arrangements, alongside fellow MDC K Trumpet Professor Brian Neal, Empire Brass Great Marc Reese, Dallas Brass & Chicago Symphony Orchestra Alum Craig Morris, and other prominent trumpet players have created a body of work for the oft-neglected genre.

Brubeck and Neal again teamed up to establish Brass Miami, and eight-piece brass group with percussion where they performed numerous concerts alongside chamber music greats from the Empire Brass, Dallas Brass, Boston Brass and Naples Philharmonic. Brubeck later established his own group, the Brubeck Brass which has an established tradition of excellence and an impressive list of alumni who have gone on to earn major positions in brass performance.

At the age of 16, YAS! Music Director, Dr. David Brubeck was appointed solo and principal trombonist of the All-AmericanYouth Honor Musicians for their tour of Spain. By his freshman year at ISU, Brubeck was an undergraduate teaching assistant in music theory, and he was appointed to teach at Northwestern University in his Senior year. At NU, Brubeck coordinated the small-group jazz program, conducted the second jazz band and coached small jazz groups. Brubeck also taught trombone and coached chamber music at the University of Miami, and was the first three-time All-American College Musician as designated by WDW, where he played bass trombone, was teaching assistant and then director of the All American College Band, tenor trombonist and leader of the Kids of the Kingdom Band on stage at Cinderella Castle, and briefly bass trombonist in the All-American College Orchestra, where he performed alongside his namesake-Dave Brubeck and his quartet.

Brubeck has premiered, inspired and commissioned numerous major works for bass trombone including the world premiere of Thomas Sleeper’s “Concerto No.2”, dedicated to Brubeck and the FAU Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Laura Joella as well as the transcription of Sleeper’s “Six Arias for Bass Trombone and Orchestra”. He gave the United States Premiere for Elizabeth Raum’s Bass Trombone Concerto, as well as her transcribed duet for trumpet and trombone, the “Four Elements”. Brubeck is believed to have been the first brass player to perform the entire Brahms and Chopin Cello sonatas live, both of which are now in the repertoire. Other composer collaborators include Liza Seigido, Federico Bonacassa, and Dr. Brubeck’s teacher, Dr. Charles Campbell, who wrote solos for Bass Trombone dedicated to Brubeck in the context of a string quartet and trombone quartet and Brubeck performed the world premieres.

Brubeck has held the position of Music Director, Conductor and Coach with numerous youth orchestras for nearly 30 years before launching Youth All Star! with fellow faculty Richard Hancock, Dr. Erin Gittelsohn, Erika Venable and Cornelia Brubeck. Current faculty also includes Francesca Puro, Mei Mei Luo, Akiko Rivera and others. Brubeck serves as a Professor of Music at a local college having shaped numerous successful alumni and was a ten-year music director and orchestra conductor of a local middle school culminating in their designation as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2019. He has earned a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University-Evanston with distinction, a Master of Music from Northwestern University-Evanston with Honor Society induction, as well a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Miami-Coral Gables with Academic Merit and a belated Bachelor of Science Magna Cum Laude, from Illinois State University- Normal.

At MDC Dr. Brubeck led the concert band in two concerts in Washington DC in honor of the anniversary of the Washington Monument, one at the famous reflecting pond between the Lincoln and Washington Monuments. His trombone students have distinguished themselves as some of the finest performers and educators one the state of Florida and the nation. Two have played the solo Tommy Dorsey chair in his famous orchestra, several are prominent band directors and DCI drum and bugle corps champions, one having performed regularly with BLAST, the professional level corps.

Under Dr. Brubeck’s Direction the MDC Kendall Jazz ensemble traveled to the 2004 UNC Greely Jazz Festival only to receive a standing ovation and receive awards for three outstanding soloists. The group was also invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The MDC Low Brass Quartet and Brass Quintet were two of three student groups selected to perform at the 2017 International Euphonium and Tuba Festival. While there, students met and interacted with many of the most prominent brass soloists of our day. One student auditioned for and earned a job playing in an Army band shortly after the festival.

Brubeck has served as a Full professor of music for more than 20 years of his 30 plus at the college and is known for his many contributions to the college such as chair of the nine-campus faculty senate equivalent, chair of committees, presenter, publisher, performer and scholar. He has been a member of the Honors faculty for many years.

COURSES TAUGHT

• HUM 1020, Humanities, also Honors
• MUL 1010, Music Appreciation, also Honors
• MUL 2380, Jazz Music Appreciation, also Honors
• MUT 1001, Basic Music Theory
• MUT 1003, Basic Ear Training and Sight Singing
• MVB 1013, 1313, 2323 - Applied Trombone
• MVB 1014, 1314, 2324 - Applied Baritone
• MVJ 1018, 1318, 2328 - Applied Jazz Trombone
• MVB 1015, 1315, 2325 - Applied Tuba
• MVB 1012, 1312, 2322 - Applied French Horn Ens

Professor Brubeck is certified in online and blended classes, as well as Canvas