Piano Jury

Mark George, President of the Music Institute of Chicago, 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. In this same period, Dr. George served as national Board Chair for the Suzuki Association of the Americas and Trustee for the Solti Foundation US, and the Billy Strayhorn Foundation.

A highly regarded pianist, he has performed and recorded extensively throughout the United States. Dr. George has held faculty positions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Case Western Reserve University, Mount Union College 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 hungry for knowledge.

Mark George 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.