Dr. Mark George

Dr. Mark George, President and CEO of the Music Institute of Chicago since 2010, has enjoyed a unique career making music and connecting people of all kinds to the performing arts. In 2011, the Chicago Tribune named him “Chicagoan of the Year” in classical music. Dr. George served as national board chair for the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and he is currently a trustee for the Solti Foundation US, The Billy Strayhorn Foundation, and the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.

A highly regarded pianist, Dr. George has performed and recorded extensively throughout the United States. He has held faculty positions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Case Western Reserve University, and the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music.

Dr. George previously served as director of the Hartt School Community Division and director of distance learning at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His work as an interdisciplinary curriculum developer and consultant has rendered the arts and humanities more accessible to diverse communities. He also led the resurgence of the 2006 Grammy Award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony. His board-level leadership, striking performances as a pianist, and inventive programming ideas re-established the ensemble as a major force in contemporary music.