Aaron Garber
Aaron Garber is in his sixteenth season as the Music Director and Conductor of the Jefferson Choral Society. Mr. Garber is the Founder of the Salem Choral Society/The Chorus of the Blue Ridge where he was previously Music Director and Conductor for fourteen seasons. Aaron is the Music Director of the First United Methodist Church of Salem.Aaron is active as both a conductor and composer. He has thrice served as guest conductor of the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in joint concerts with the Jefferson Choral Society that have included the premieres of his Dies Irae and Credo and most recently for the May 3, 2019, concert. Mr. Garber has composed several major works for chorus and orchestra and has recently completed the composing of a full-length opera, Romania: Revolution 1989, which premiered in the Romanian Opera House in Timişoara on December 15, 2019.
The compositions of Aaron Garber have been heard across the United States and throughout the world, including in Canada, Thailand, Austria, Romania, and Tanzania. Aaron is published by Concordia Publishing House and Augsburg Fortress Publishers. He won the prestigious Raymond W. Brock student composition award in 2000, a national contest sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association. Aaron was selected to compose the 2011-2012 theme song for Rotary International, which Aaron premiered in San Diego in 2011.
In addition to composing and conducting music, Aaron enjoys leading tour groups through his business, the International Tour Company. With Mr. Garber, the JCS has toured and performed in England, Scotland, and Canada twice. Other countries toured include Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Austria, and France. Aaron Garber holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bridgewater College, VA, where he was named 2007 Young Alumnus of the Year. He also has a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
