Biography

Jacob Nissly was appointed Principal Percussion of the San Francisco Symphony in 2013. Previously, he was principal percussion of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony. He also served as a member of the New World Symphony. He is co-chair of the Percussion Department at San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he also directs the percussion ensemble. He has also taught at the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mr. Nissly holds a Bachelor of Music and Jazz Studies from Northwestern University and a where he studied with Michael Burritt, James Ross, and Paul Wertico.  He received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Greg Zuber and Dan Druckman. Mr. Nissly has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Houston Symphony, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He began his percussion studies with Woody Smith in Iowa. For more on Jacob Nissly, visit sfsymphony.org/jacobnissly.

(October 2019)