Aaron Kaplan enjoys a multifaceted musical career as a conductor, Jeff-Award nominated musical director, cellist, music educator, and arranger. Aaron is the artistic director/conductor of the JAM Orchestra, a Chicago-based ensemble dedicated to performing a diverse repertoire of classical, Broadway, swing, and film music. In recent seasons, Aaron has guest conducted the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, Arete Orchestra, North Shore Chamber Orchestra, University of Illinois at Chicago Orchestra and led the Peoria Ballet’s performances of The Nutcracker with the Heartland Festival Orchestra. A dedicated teacher, Aaron is an orchestra director at Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South High Schools where he co-teaches the orchestra classes, conducts the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra, teaches AP Music Theory, writes orchestrations for both schools’ annual variety shows, and conducts the annual Glenbrook musical. A passionate advocate of the American musical theatre, Aaron has been the music director/conductor for over 100 productions (the majority with original orchestration) including West Side Story, On the Town, Les Misérables, RENT, Chess, Guys & Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Producers. His work has been nominated for Outstanding Music Direction 5 times by the Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards, and he has worked at numerous theatre companies including Theo Ubique, Blank Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, and Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.