Jack Van Geem retired as Principal Percussionist and Assistant Timpanist with the San Francisco Symphony in 2012, a position he held 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.

Van Geem has taught at San Francisco Conservatory since 1991 and at The Colburn School in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2015. He has also taught at nearly every ZMF event from 2001 - 2020 where he also served as Vice President.