Brookens returns to present concert
Drake University student Justin Brookens will perform a trumpet concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 29 at USD 408 Performing Arts Center. The concert will be free and open to the public.
Brookens, a 2004 Marion High School graduate majoring in music education and trumpet performance, said the concert is a chance to give back to the community. The construction of the performing arts center showed a great commitment to the fine arts.
“Actually my dad, Bob Brookens, and I were talking about how cool it would be to have a concert series in Marion,” Brookens said.
He will play Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat, Arthur Honegger’s Intrada for C trumpet and piano, Halsey Stevens’ Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, and Eric Ewazen’s Sonata for Trumpet and Piano.
There will be a 10-15 minute lecture about the historical importance of the pieces before the concert, Brookens said. The lecture will start at 7:30 p.m.
He began playing trumpet in fifth grade under the instruction of Mike Connell. He said Connell now teaches at Goessel.
At Drake, he plays in the wind symphony, Drake orchestra, jazz ensemble 1, and jazz combos. He also is currently the only student on the faculty brass quintet, for which he receives an undergraduate assistantship.
“I felt pretty honored to be asked to do that,” Brookens said.
He also teaches private trumpet lessons in the Des Moines area, is part of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute for the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. He is a past president of Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity and helps organize music competitions and festivals.
When he chose to attend Drake, he had not decided what to study, but he knew he wanted to do something with music or business, Brookens said. Drake was a good choice for either.
He also wanted to experience a different atmosphere, and Des Moines offered what he was looking for.
“There’s still that sense of community that Marion has to offer, but in a big-city environment,” Brookens said.
He will be student teaching in the Des Moines area in the spring and expects to graduate in May.
Brookens said he plans to attend graduate school to earn a master’s degree in trumpet performance. He is looking at University of Missouri-Kansas City, Northwestern, Yale, DePaul, the New England Conservatory, and the University of Indiana.
He is the son of Bob and Anita Brookens of Marion.
Last modified Oct. 22, 2008