Recently applauded for performances “high in energy, with close attention to ebb and flow,” American conductor Jeffrey Grogan is hailed as a musical leader who “knows what kind of sound he wants from an orchestra,” “rich and vibrant.” Grogan begins his fifth successful season as the Education and Community Engagement Conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. In addition to leading the NJSO in a variety of concerts each season, he is a frequent host of the Classical Conversations series.
His humanistic leadership style, coupled with a strong command of skills as a musical communicator, has earned him an impressive reputation with audiences and music programs throughout the country. A conductor who is known for his “shrewd programming, skillful rehearsing, and an energized performance,” Grogan was recently chosen to participate in the prestigious 2009 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview sponsored by the League of American Orchestras. His abilities were recently showcased with the Nashville Symphony in front of an audience comprised of music director search committees, artistic administrators, and artist managers from across the United States.
Considering his work with young musicians as one of the cornerstones of his career, Grogan continues this commitment as music director of the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra, the InterSchool Orchestras of New York and the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic Orchestra. In addition, he spends a large portion of each season working with school music programs, festivals, and conducting All-State Orchestras throughout the country. Grogan has also recently served as cover and preparation conductor for the Manhattan School of Music.
Prior to his appointment with the NJSO, Grogan was Director of Orchestras and Associate Professor at the Ithaca College School of Music (New York). In addition to leading Ithaca’s graduate orchestral conducting program, he took the orchestra to its Lincoln Center-Avery Fisher Hall debut and led the ensemble in its most recent concert programs in the United Kingdom.
Grogan was previously on faculty at the University of Michigan and at Baylor University. He taught public school in the Desoto (Texas) Independent School District. Grogan is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Michigan.
Email: Mr. Jeff Grogan
