Michael Nearpass

Michael Nearpass is an accomplished music educator and development professional with extensive experience in jazz studies and music theory. Currently serving as Development Manager for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic since November 2021 and as a Jazz Improvisation Instructor at the Old Town School of Folk Music since June 2019, Nearpass also teaches trombone and composition at City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and music theory at the Merit School of Music. Previous roles include Development and Education Manager at the Jazz Institute of Chicago and Associate Instructor at Indiana University, where responsibilities included lecturing on jazz history and assisting in concert productions. Nearpass holds a Master of Music in Jazz/Jazz Studies from Indiana University Bloomington and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz/Jazz Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.