Genre

:

Chamber

 

Jack van Geem was born on August 22, 1951, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in a musical family, with his father playing the trumpet and his mother playing the piano. At the age of six, van Geem began playing the piano and later started playing the drums in his school band. Van Geem attended San Francisco State University, where he studied percussion with Jack Van Geem and earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1973. He then went on to study at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned his Master of Music degree in 1975. After completing his studies, van Geem began his professional career as a percussionist. He performed with a number of orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with a number of chamber music ensembles, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. Van Geem was known for his virtuosic performances on the marimba, a percussion instrument that resembles a xylophone but has a deeper, richer sound. He was one of the first percussionists to specialize in the marimba and helped to popularize the instrument in classical music. One of van Geem's most notable performances was his solo debut with the San Francisco Symphony in 1980, where he performed the marimba concerto by American composer William Kraft. The performance was a critical and popular success, and van Geem went on to perform the concerto with orchestras around the world. Van Geem also performed and recorded with a number of contemporary composers, including John Adams, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. He was particularly known for his collaborations with composer Lou Harrison, who wrote several works for van Geem, including the Concerto for Violin and Percussion and the Suite for Violin, Piano, and Small Orchestra. In addition to his performing career, van Geem was also a respected teacher and mentor. He taught percussion at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of California, Berkeley, and was known for his patient and supportive teaching style. Van Geem received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In 1985, he was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1990, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He was also a recipient of the San Francisco Symphony's Outstanding Musician Award and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Excellence in Teaching Award. Van Geem continued to perform and teach until his death on December 16, 2019, at the age of 68. He was remembered by his colleagues and students as a kind, generous, and immensely talented musician who had a profound impact on the world of classical music.

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