Jeffrey Grogan is an internationally acclaimed conductor and music educator, recognized for his passionate dedication to young musicians and transformative work in music education. In the fall of 2025, he returned to Baylor University as the Mary Franks Thompson Professor of Orchestral Studies in the School of Music—coming full circle to the university where he taught from 1997 to 2002.
Grogan most recently served as Director of Orchestral Activities at Oklahoma City University’s Bass School of Music and Artistic Director of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras. Under his leadership, both programs flourished, earning reputations for artistic excellence, collaboration, and community engagement.
His conducting career has taken him to many of the world’s great stages, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Sydney Opera House, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, and major venues in Bangkok and Singapore. He has led performances at national festivals and collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic’s YOLA program at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
A committed advocate for music education, Grogan founded TeachMusic, a national initiative to recruit and support future music educators. This coalition—backed by over 40 leading music companies and organizations—addresses the growing shortage of music teachers nationwide. He is also a Yamaha Master Educator and serves on advisory boards and committees of the Midwest Clinic, Music for All, ASTA, and the League of American Orchestras.
Grogan has worked closely with composers such as Omar Thomas, Eric Whitacre, Amanda Harberg, Lowell Liebermann, and Scott McAllister, and with renowned performers including clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, violinist Sheryl Staples, the Canadian Brass, the Boston Brass, and the Ahn Trio. His recording of Mark O’Connor’s March of the Gypsy Fiddler—featuring the Ahn Trio and the New Jersey Youth Symphony—has been featured on classical radio stations nationwide.
Earlier in his career, Grogan spent more than a decade as Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and directed three major youth orchestra programs in the New York/New Jersey region. He has also held faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and Ithaca College.
Whether in a rehearsal room or on a global stage, Grogan brings an infectious enthusiasm to every ensemble he leads. His return to Baylor marks a new chapter in a career defined by creativity, connection, and a deep belief in the power of music to shape lives.