Our Staff

Joshua Kearney, Music Director 

Joshua Kearney is Associate Professor and Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he teaches undergraduate courses in music education and conducting, conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate conducting, coordinates the annual UNO Bands Conducting Workshop, and oversees all aspects of the UNO band program. In addition to his duties at UNO, Dr. Kearney serves as Music Director of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Kearney began his career as a teacher in the public schools south of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Dr. Kearney has worked as an adjudicator and clinician for ensembles of all levels—maintaining an active guest conducting schedule in the U.S. and abroad. Kearney is a regular presenter and guest lecturer with appearances at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, the Alfrēda Kalniņa Cēsu Mūzikas Vidusskola (Cesis, Latvia), multiple state music conferences, College Music Society (CMS) regional, national, and international conferences, conferences of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the Midwest Clinic, the Association for Concert Bands, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference in Prague, among others. Under Kearney’s direction, both the Nebraska Wind Symphony and the UNO Symphonic Wind Ensemble have been selected as featured ensembles at the annual Nebraska Music Educators Association in-service conference, and UNO’s SWE took third place in the College/University Wind Band performance division of the American Prize in 2024.  

An advocate of new music, Kearney often works with composers in the creation and performance of new works for winds. His direct efforts have contributed to pieces by Stacey Barelos, Scott Boerma, Steven Bryant, Alexandra Gardner, Donald Grantham, Will Healy, Jessie Montgomery, Joseph Schwantner, and others. Dr. Kearney’s work as an arranger has led to contributions for wind ensemble, flute and trombone choirs, and athletic bands with publications in the catalogs of Boosey & Hawkes, Carl Fischer, and Robert Elkjer. An experienced editor, Kearney’s critical edition of Emil Hartmann’s “Serenade for Winds” (Op. 43) is regularly featured in prominent conducting symposia throughout the United States, and additional plans have been made for publication of Kearney’s educational editions of Georg Druschetzky’s wind partitas—works accessible by ensembles of wide ability levels and instrumentation.  

Kearney earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from Michigan State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Columbus State University (GA). Kearney holds affiliations with the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, the Nebraska Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Music Society, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and the College Band Directors National Association. Kearney has served on the Executive Board for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association and in leadership roles on committees within the College Band Directors National Association. Kearney is a member of Phi Beta Mu, an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, and he is the recipient of multiple Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association.  

Chris Tucker, Associate Music Director 

Chris Tucker taught Band for 38 years in the Gretna Public Schools. Starting in 1987, she was the one and only 5-12 Director, and in her final year she was one of ten band staff members working with all ages of band students in two middle schools and two high schools. For her final ten years in Gretna, she was the Director of Middle School Bands at Gretna Middle School and assisted with the three concert bands and two marching bands at Gretna High School.  

She received her Bachelor of Music in Education (1987), with Highest Distinction, and her Master of Music (1992) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 1993, Chris was awarded the Jack R. Snider Young Band Director Award, and in March of 2004, she received a Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association for serving on its Executive Board for nine years in the role of Treasurer. She was awarded the first-ever “Outstanding Middle School Teacher” for the Gretna Public Schools in 2023.  

Chris has presented clinics at both the Nebraska Music Educators Conference and the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association conventions. In addition, she is a frequent adjudicator for many area contests and guest conductor and clinician for regional schools and honor band festivals. Chris also served as the Associate Director of the Nebraska Wind Symphony from 2000 to 2012 including serving as Interim Director in the fall of 2003. She is currently the Executive Director for the Nebraska Middle School All-Stars which is an organization that takes middle level Band, Choir and Orchestra students on a one week playing tour in Hawaii. Her other professional organizations include National Band Association and Phi Beta Mu, an international honorary society for band directors. 

Lauren Milbourn, Summer Concert Series Music Director 

Lauren Milbourn is a passionate advocate for music education and resource accessibility. A versatile musician, her work spans teaching, conducting, music research, and international performance on bass clarinet and clarinet. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder. Milbourn previously served as Assistant Director of Bands at Millard South High School, where she taught for four years at both the elementary and high school levels and served on the district instrumental leadership team. Lauren currently works as the Engagement Coordinator for Omaha Performing Arts and founder of zhanre.org. In the summer, she is on staff with the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy and the Nebraska Masonic All-star Marching Band, helping young musicians develop their musicianship and leadership skills.  

Outside of music, Lauren enjoys spending meaningful time with her husband, Brian, and their two cats, Stella and Toshiko. 

Keith Davis, Music Librarian 

Keith Davis is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and has made Omaha his home since 1991. He earned degrees in Composition and Horn Performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where his principal instructors were Dr. Gerald Kemner and Dr. James Mobberley; he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1988 and his Master of Music degree in 1990. Mr. Davis has composed pieces for a wide variety of ensembles, but his focus on wind band music has yielded several successful commissions, compositions and arrangements, including “Deus ex Machina”, “A Western Plains Overture”, “Entebbe Variations”, “Native Hunters”, and “Bastion of Freedom”.  

Keith has been a playing member of the Nebraska Wind Symphony since 1992, serving previously as Associate Music Director and presently as Music Librarian. He is also a playing member with Orchestra Omaha and the Omaha Symphonic Winds. Keith lives in Gretna with his wife, oboist Deanna Davis, and their pets.