Trent Jacobs

1981 - 2024

Trent Jacobs, 42, died peacefully at home June 6, after a seven-year battle with cancer.

Trent was born in Cambridge, OH, on June 27, 1981. He moved to Owatonna, MN in 1991, where he began participating actively in music. He learned clarinet, guitar, and bassoon, and played in junior high and high school bands, orchestras, jazz bands, and sang in the choirs. He graduated from Owatonna High School in 1999.

Trent continued to pursue music in college, completing his bachelor's degree in bassoon performance at Lawrence University in 2003. While at Lawrence, he met the love of his life, Sarah (Matthews), and they were married on August 6, 2005 in Geneva, IL. Trent completed his master's degree in 2006 and his doctorate of musical arts in 2011 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Trent and Sarah relocated from Illinois to Minneapolis in 2009, where he worked for Midwest Musical Imports (MMI) as a bassoon specialist. During this time, Trent began to take an interest in the development of an amplification system for the bassoon, to give the bassoon more presence in non-classical settings such as rock, folk, and jazz. It also allowed digital effects to be used on the bassoon, changing the dynamic and versatility of the sound. The finished product, called the "The Little-Jake," is now used by bassoonists around the world and has expanded the reach of the capabilities of the instrument.

After he left MMI, Trent became a professor of bassoon and theory at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, working his way up to senior lecturer. He loved sharing his passion with his students, and teaching was one of his greatest joys, second only to the joy of being a father to his two children, Cirenya, born in 2012, and Edwyn in 2017.

He was preceded in death by his brother Brent Schoeder, sister Cirenya Rose, and father Terry Jacobs. He is survived by his wife Sarah, his two children, his mother Marcia Jacobs, brother Gregory Schroeder and his wife Robin, two nephews, one niece, two great nieces, big brother Michael Jensen, and countless friends, colleagues, students, and admirers.

A celebration of life will be held on June 29 at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 421 S. Farwell St. Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Donations can be made to Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association.