JaKobe Henry is a dynamic crossover trumpet player, educator, and composer based out of Champaign Illinois. He is currently pursuing his DMA in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This follows the completion of his MM in Trumpet Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his BA in Music Education K-12 from Jacksonville State University.

JaKobe currently studies with Tito Carrillo (Jazz), Charles Daval (Classical) and Jim Pugh (Composition). Other notable teachers JaKobe has worked with include Ronald Romm, Chris Probst and several premier military band members. In 2022, JaKobe was invited to compete in the Graduate Solo, Military Band Excerpt and Small Ensemble divisions of the National Trumpet Competition in Boulder, CO. Additionally, JaKobe was recently appointed one of the Air Force Bands Diversity Fellowships. He will spend a week working with the band in D.C., culminating in a performance that Saturday.

While at UIUC, JaKobe has played with the Illinois Wind Symphony (co-principal), Symphony Orchestra, Graduate Brass Quintet, Latin Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos. Recent professional ensemble appearances include Sinfonia da Camera and the Heartland Symphony Orchestra. JaKobe is an Adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazerene University in Bourbonnais, IL.

In his free time, JaKobe enjoys composing, watching tv, running and cooking