Jack Van Geem

Jack Van Geem has been principal percussion and assistant timpanist of the San Francisco Symphony for 32 years. He has performed and recorded with the symphony as a mallet soloist, solo timpanist, snare drum soloist and featured solo percussionist. Before joining the Symphony in 1981, he performed for five years with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. He studied in Germany with Cristoph Caskel on a Hertz Fellowship and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from California State University–Hayward, where he also taught. In addition to his work with the San Francisco Symphony, Van Geem has recorded and performed chamber music, music soundtracks and marimba and xylophone music. He recently finished recording a CD of marimba duets with Nancy Zeltsman and premiered Island Music, a work written especially for them by Michael Tilson Thomas.